SFP: The Future
by Hopeless-Tyronos
Summary: Set 4 months after SFP: A History, This is the continuing of SFP. Now that Fox has told Krystal his past, how will the future of SFP and Star Fox change?
1. Chapter 1

**SFP – 1:00PM **

**Four Months Later**

Wind rushed past him as he took the familiar route to the shop. He always preferred his bike over the SUV. He enjoyed it more when the only female on his team accompanied him. The tan vulpine laughed to himself, he knew he'd see her later that day. As for now he had some business to attend to. General Pepper couldn't afford to give them as many jobs, so he was asked to revisit an old one. He still had money and could have easily survived until Lylat was in danger again, but there was something about this place that kept bringing him back. In the four months it had been since he'd last been here, he was hoping that the store was still in one piece.

Fox eased his bike to a stop and took off his helmet. He turned to face his pizzeria and couldn't help but smile. '_Seems like little has changed since I've been here.' _He thought as he pulled the door open and walked inside. The familiar smells of restaurant filled his nose as the door shut behind him. The first thing he noticed was the lack of people in the pizzeria. He wondered if the store was even still making money. He quickly shook the idea out of his head, Kara was still in charge, and she had a good head on her shoulders.

"Hey, welcome to SFP how can I help... Fox McCloud?" Fox looked up to the vulpine behind the counter. He was an arctic fox, about his height, but what really caught Fox's attention was the black slash over his right eye and seemed to follow down his arm. He noticed a comm on his wrist as well that looked different from the standard issue ones normally handed out in the military. "Uh... Hello? Mr. McCloud?"

"Just Fox is fine." Fox replied extending his hand. The arctic vulpine quickly returned the gesture.

"Kiko Truman. It's nice to finally meet you in person Fox." Kiko rested his hands on the counter. "So, what brings you back to SFP?"

"Well, there hasn't really been enough activity to keep the bills paid." Fox sighed. "So General Pepper asked me to come check on things here. Is Kara here?"

Kiko shook his head. "Kara is on maternity leave." Fox's eyes widened at the news. "Yeah, I didn't even know she had a boyfriend, then she's up and preggers. I was assigned to be the interim manager until you or her came back."

"Kara's pregnant? I don't think I've even seen her boyfriend." Fox chuckled to himself before he looked at Kiko. "Aren't you a bit young to be in a management position?"

Kiko shrugged. "That's what I told 'em. Think they'd listen?" They shared a laughed, Fox knew all to well how the military made your choices for you. "So, how is the new member of Star Fox?"

"Well, Krystal has just about finished up some advanced courses." Fox grinned. "She's a hell of a pilot, picked up the controls for the Arwing faster than anyone else I've seen." The both looked over at the phone as it rang. Kiko sighed grabbed the phone, leaving Fox alone for the time being. "Hey you mind if I take a look around out back?" Kiko waved him in and continued taking the order. Fox felt waves of memories hit him as he saw his prep area, most of them from when he first met Krystal. His daydream was broken as another employee ran into him with a armload of dishes. They barely muttered an apology before walking past him towards the dishwasher. Fox continued his tour down memory lane, he didn't want to believe it, but he missed this place.

"Order up!" Kiko yelled, breaking the otherwise silent atmosphere. "Dishes can wait, orders first!"

Fox could tell that the place had slacked off since he'd been here. It looked like his nightly cleaning list had been thrown out, the floors where a mess, the prep area was a disaster. When he got to the mixer he sighed angrily. "It's like six Falcos are working here." The mixer looked like it was being held together with tape. Fox cursed in frustration before heading back to Kiko.

"I know its standards have fallen, but that is no reason for you to slack off." Kiko stared at the other employee working. "I don't care what rank you have in the military, when you are here you follow my orders or you find yourself being the scout for Venom, you follow me?" When he was finished Kiko waved the employee away.

"The way I see it, shit travels downhill." Fox walked into his old office and sat down. Kiko walked in behind him leaning against the door frame. "You've let my restaurant's standards slip very low while you've been in charge it seems, and while I should just fire your ass..." Fox stopped to think about his next words. He really didn't want to jump right back into being the manager here. "I'll give you a second chance."

Kiko wanted to speak his mind about what Fox had said but remained quiet. "Thanks Fox, it's been hard for me to even keep this place open." Kiko walked into the office and shut the door. "This isn't really my type of environment. A lot of the guys think that working here is some form of punishment." Kiko looked nervously at Fox who seemed indifferent to his comment. "You thinking of letting some people go?"

"I am letting people go." Fox stated. "I'll only need you and one other part timer, everyone else can go back to Pepper. Send in reports about their work ethic here. I'll make sure Pepper sees them." Fox looked down at the desk, which seemed as messy as always. "Have anyone in particular that you want to keep?"

"Yeah, there's one. She's the only part timer here, really knows her shit." Kiko pointed to a list of names and numbers. "Last one on the right."

Fox nodded and stood up. "I'd like to stay and chat but I've got to get home before Krys does."

"Krys?" Kiko laughed. "You give pet names to all your crew mates?" Fox shook his head, laughing with him.

"Nope that's Falco's job." Fox went to leave but quickly turned to face Kiko once more. "Listen, Kiko. I'm going to need you to let everyone other than the part timer that they've been let go. If they raise a fuss about it tell them to get in contact with Pepper, or myself." With that Fox make his way out of the pizzeria. He put his helmet back on and started his bike. He looked over the shop one last time, happy to finally be coming back here. It would take some work to get it back up to his standards but he knew his team was up for the challenge. He was about to leave when he saw Kiko running towards him. "What's up?" He asked as Kiko reached him.

"I forgot to ask, when are you guys starting?" Fox smiled.

"Tomorrow. Pencil me and Krystal in for a nine to five shift, with Falco and Slippy coming in around noon. We'll show you how to run this place." Fox put down the visor on his helmet and peeled out of the parking lot, leaving Kiko in his dust.

"I'm going to be working with Star Fox?" Kiko asked no one before going back inside. He let realization kick in and grinned. He'd be working with Fox, Falco, Slippy and of course Krystal. "I'll be working along side two hot chicks now!" His celebration was short lived as the phones began to ring once more. It didn't bother him to answer it this time. "Thanks for calling SFP, and you're not gonna believe what's happening tomorrow!"

"If it's anything other than a better special I'm not interested." The customer replied. Kiko sighed, and went back into his regular routine.

"Nope, no new specials ma'am, but we'll be under new management tomorrow."

* * *

><p><strong>That's right folks.<strong> The doors of SFP have been reopened! I know a few of you have been waiting for it, and I do apologize about the wait. But have no fear, SFP is back baby! This first chapter is intentionally short, the rest will be longer.

Peace,

H-T

P.S. - I am looking for 1-2 more OC's for this fic, if you are interested either says so in a review or send me a PM!


	2. Chapter 2

**Alright, here we go!** *Disclaimer* I do not own Star Fox... If I did we'd have Star Fox Wii already. Kiko Truman is owned by Jumaji8 and used with permission.

* * *

><p><strong>McCloud Residence – 8:00am<strong>

Krystal opened her eyes and hit the snooze button on her alarm clock. With a yawn she pulled the covers off and walked to her dresser, picking out a normal outfit and headed for a quick shower._ 'I hope I can remember everything.' _She thought as the water set itself to a warm temperature. As she got out she heard a knock on her door.

"Is that you Fox?"

"Yeah it's me." Fox's voice was muffled by the walls. "Are you decent?"

Krystal laughed and walked to the door and opened it, still dressed in her pyjamas. "Of course not." Fox smirked at her. "You just checking to see if I was awake?"

"Yeah, I've got breakfast made when you're done. We gotta be out of here by eight thirty." Fox pulled her into a hug before kissing her. "Mmm, that made my morning." Krystal giggled and pushed him out of her doorway.

"I'll be out in a few minutes." Krystal winked at him before closing the door. Fox made his way to the kitchen where Slippy was pouring himself a cup of coffee.

"Morning Fox, breakfast looks and smells good!" The toad said as he sat down at the table. Fox had made up some waffles and pancakes for the team. "I wonder if Falco will get out of bed in time to get some of this."

"Knowing him?" Fox chuckled. "He likely stayed up all night gaming, you guys don't work until one anyway." They ate for a few minutes in silence before Krystal showed up dressed for work. "Grab it while it's hot Krys."

"Waffles and Pancakes Fox? You spoil us." Krystal took a seat beside him before taking some food. "I can't believe Kara's on maternity leave."

"I know right?" Slippy shook his head. "I didn't even know she had a boyfriend!" The two foxes vocalized their agreement before they shared a laugh. "I'm happy for her regardless, glad she could find someone to settle down with you know?"

"You guys make too much fucking noise." The bitter tone in Falco's voice caused everyone to fall silent. "You make these Fox?" He asked pointing to the pancakes.

"Like any other guy here can cook." Fox stood up and put his plate in the sink. Falco sat down and put a few pancakes on his plate before running a hand through his hair. "What's up sunshine, didn't sleep well?"

"Hey Fox... two words." Falco looked up at the vulpine. "Fuck. You."

"Such hate." Fox grabbed his chest as if he was hit. "You're killing me buddy."

"Whatever, go away." Falco mumbled before starting his breakfast. "Take Blue with ya, she's a morning person..."

"Just because I good a full night's rest doesn't mean I'm a morning person." Krystal said as she put her own plate in the sink. "See you boys later." The two remaining members of Star Fox uttered their good-byes. Fox grabbed his keys off the counter before wrapping an arm around Krystal. "Are you excited to be working at SFP again?"

"Yeah." Fox smiled. "It's a nice break from mercenary stuff."

"I'm just glad to get out of that simulation room." Krystal giggled. "Don't get me wrong, I love flying but damn. You guys take it to another level!" Fox smiled at her.

"We're the best that Lylat has to offer." He said as they got to his SUV. "The Arwing is our trademark fighter, it's a tough bird to fly, but you've seemed to make it look easy!" He opened the door for her before letting himself in. "Seriously Krys, if I had have known about you earlier I would have asked you to join then."

Krystal couldn't help but smile at his words. She leaned over and kissed his cheek. "Thanks Fox, you're too kind." Fox started the vehicle and grabbed her hand in his before taking off for SFP.

* * *

><p><strong>SFP – 8:45am<strong>

Kiko wasn't used to seeing another vehicle in the parking lot. It took him a few minutes before he remembered that Fox and Krystal were starting today. He grinned, at the thought of working with Star Fox, especially Krystal. She was the talk of the military ever since Fox hired her, everyone wanted a piece of her. Kiko turned off his car and walked into SFP, locking the door behind him.

"Hello? Fox you here?"

"Kiko! I was wondering when you would show up!" Fox yelled from the back room. "Krystal and I are about to start prep."

"I figured you'd want to dive right into paperwork." Kiko laughed. "Since you're taking over again right?" Kiko came outback and saw Fox putting flour in the mixer. "Right?"

"Nope. You're still managing this place, you're my assistant manager in title only. I've got too much stuff outside of this place going on to be the full time manager again." Fox tossed the empty bag of flour away before pouring water into the bowl. "I hope that's okay."

"Yeah... totally." The sarcasm in Kiko's voice was apparent. "I guess... I'll be doing that for the first few hours of the day huh?"

"Excuse me." Krystal said as she came out of the walk in cooler with a few bowls and a container full of tomatoes. "This is all we have to do Fox, everything else looks good."

"Alright, might as well do up a few of the other veggies for the hell of it. Likely going to be a boring shift." Fox replied before he noticed Kiko staring at Krystal. "Uh... Krystal this is-"

"Kiko. Kiko Truman." Kiko interrupted him, taking Krystal's free hand and kissing it. "And might I say Krystal, that you have a beautiful name, and matching eyes." Krystal giggled nervously at his actions before looking over at Fox, who looked like he was going to murder the vulpine. "Something wrong?"

"Kiko... I'm going to tell you what's wrong." Fox waited until Kiko turned to face him. "Krystal is my girlfriend, and if you try something like that in front of me again I will fire you, got it?" Kiko laughed for a few seconds before he caught on that Fox wasn't kidding.

"Take it easy man, you can't blame me for trying!" Kiko threw his hands up in defense. "I didn't know, and I'll back off, you gotta get that shit public, everyone and their sons want her." That caused Krystal to blush a bit before she began cutting tomatoes. "I mean it man, I respect that you two are together."

Fox didn't say anything but nodded at the arctic vulpine. Kiko took this as his queue to get on paper work, and quickly left the two alone. "You didn't have to threaten to fire him you know. He was telling the truth, he didn't know about us."

"I over-reacted. But... just the way he cut me off and started flirting... it got to me." Fox watched the mixer for a few seconds before he felt Krystal's arms around him. "I'm still worried that you'll just up and leave me like Fara, I can't shake that out of my mind."

"Fox, we've been together for four months now. I would have left by now if I was going to. Besides, you're too amazing for me to give up." Krystal smiled as the tension left his body. "I'll remind you of that every single day until you get it if I have to."

"Thanks Krys." Fox whispered setting his hands over hers. "Get those tomatoes finished up so you can help me get the dough ready for lunch time." Krystal nodded and continued cutting up tomatoes.

"Hey Fox, these news letters keep coming in but they're useless to SFP, you want me to cancel the order? Should give us a bit more for stock orders." Kiko asked, holding the letter in question in his hand.

"Let me take a look at it." Fox said, taking the letter from Kiko. He quickly skimmed it over, trying to remember why he had started getting it in the first place. "Yeah, give them a call. Must have gotten a subscription or something when I first started this place."

"Right." Kiko took the letter back. "Look Fox, I am sorry about earlier."

"Yeah, me too. I'm a bit over protective." Fox patted Kiko on the shoulder. "Besides you're right, she is beautiful and don't even get me started on her eyes." Kiko smiled before he went back to the office. "Krys, how much longer on that first batch of dough?"

"About seven minutes Fox. I've got the tomatoes finished, want to do the green peppers while I get the mushrooms?" Fox was out of the walk in before she finished, handing her a box of uncut mushrooms. "I'll take that as a yes."

"When you're finished up we need to check to see what needs fixed so Slippy can get started on it when he gets here." Fox pointed to the mixer. "That thing is first for sure."

"Alright." Krystal looked around the prep area, seeing if anything was physically broken. A lot of the stainless steel looked like it had failed to live up to it's name, but other than that nothing seemed too badly damaged. "Hard to believe things in here can change in a few months."

"Well when this happened last time the military guys managed to break the prep table in half. So, it's actually in pretty good shape. Regardless, we'll need to check things over because they have a hard time getting stuff replaced when it isn't considered military use." Fox pressed the button to stop the mixer, tightening some bolts by hand before letting it continue. "Oh yeah, this thing might need to be replaced completely."

"Hey guys, here's an up to date menu." Kiko handed both Fox and Krystal a flyer. "We've only really got two really good deals going on. Triple play and the four by four."

"Three twelve inch pizzas... That's not so bad." Fox skimmed over the other deal. "Oh come on, that four by four deal looks like it costs us more than the customer."

"Yeah, that's what I told them." Kiko frowned. "We could cancel it and make up a new one if you want. Only thing is we'd have to keep it that stupid thing for at least another two weeks."

"What the hell were they thinking?" Fox sighed. "Whatever, we'll get something new... maybe put down the price on that family combo and just use that." Kiko nodded.

"A lot of customers like that one. If we put it down we'd be competing with the local competition again. It would build the customer base back up." Krystal looked over at the two vulpine. Kiko seemed to know his stuff, as he and Fox were talking about business plans, and advertisements. She heard the buzzer on the mixer ring and turned the machine off. She'd gotten the dough out and was about to start cutting it to the right weight before Fox came back.

"It's a good thing one of us was paying attention. Sorry about that." Fox began balling the dough as Krystal cut it. "Did Falco teach how to do this?"

"If by taught you mean pointed to the chart, then yes." Krystal giggled. "Besides you two seem to have a bit to get worked out. I can handle this if you want to help him out."

"I'd rather help you. It wouldn't be fair if I made you do all the work on our first day back."

The two worked diligently until the mass of dough was cut and balled into several different sizes. Once they had enough time to rise, Fox took got some clean pans and set them on the counter.

"Put some vegetable oil on these pans so the dough doesn't stick." Krystal nodded and began putting some oil in the pans, as she did this Fox began putting the dough through another machine that flattened it into more a more manageable size.

Once it went through the machine he picked up the flat dough and let it stretch a bit in his hand before he flopped it into the pan, moving the oil around with the dough to make sure it cover the entire pan.

"See how I'm doing this? Or would you like a hands on lesson?"

"I wasn't watching, so I guess I'll have to get you to do this batch and maybe I'll do the next one. With the hands on lesson of course." Krystal put some oil in the last pan before she looked at the other clean pans. "What else do we need?"

"Uh..." Fox looked at the dough they had left to flatten. "Ten fifteens, six twelves, and nine nines." Krystal grabbed the pans and set them on the counter. "And here I thought that lingo would have confused you."

"I'm a telepath Fox." Krystal smiled. "I heard you counting." Fox laughed and continued flattening the dough. "I'll get some older dough in the proof-er so we'll be ready for the lunch rush."

"I don't know how busy it'll be, so go easy on it." Fox said as he went back to the dough.

_'I hope it doesn't get too busy.'_ Krystal thought as she put the dough in the proof-er._ 'Then again, it'll be boring around here once prep is done.'_

* * *

><p><strong>-3 hours later-<strong>

The lunch rush was a bit more than Fox had anticipated. The specials that had been put in place seemed to be quite popular. Krystal volunteered to go on ovens, while Kiko handled customers and phones, leaving Fox in the kitchen by himself. He caught himself double checking nearly every order just to make sure it was right, and knew he was adding unnecessary time to them.

"Two more order's Fox, they're your favorite special!" Kiko yelled. Fox sighed and waited for the slip to print up. "It's never normally this busy, I guess people really want to eat the food made by Lylat's hero!"

"If this keeps up I might have to stop making food at home!" Fox yelled, getting a laugh from the other vulpine.

"You'll still cook for me, wont you?" Krystal looked over at Fox from the ovens with a smile. Fox put two more pizzas in the oven before he winked at her. Krystal took a cooked pizza out of the oven and cut it before she put it in the right size box. "Order's done Kiko... Works no mushrooms."

"Thank you." Kiko took the box from Krystal before handing it to an older husky. "Have a good day my dear." Kiko walked around to check on a few orders. "Tell me when the next one is out Krystal, this guy hates waiting for his food."

"Right, don't we all." Krystal set the empty pan down on the growing pile. "Hey Fox, you should put Falco on dish duty when he gets here."

"Oh he'll love that!" Fox laughed as he finished up his last order. "Kiko, you need any help up front?"

"I'm good for now Fox, but if the phone rings I'll need you to get it." Kiko walked into the dining room and began cleaning off some empty tables for the next customers. Fox walked up to the ovens, checking the boxes before putting the completed orders in the warmer.

"Order number... three ten?" Fox looked around for movement from the customers. "Three ten?" With a shrug he put the pizza into the warmer along with the others. "Three oh eight, and three oh nine?" He smiled as two people walked towards him and took their orders. "Have a good one guys!"

"Hey Fox could you get me a drink please, I'd forgotten how hot it was standing here." Krystal asked, Fox grabbed a bottle of water from the pop cooler and slid it towards her. "Thanks!"

"Anytime love." Fox replied, he looked at the time on the nearest computer. "Slippy should be here soon, I told him we'd need to get that mixer fixed tonight."

"Hey Fox, is order three ten done yet? I'm starving!" Fox looked up to see Falco and Slippy walking into the restaurant. Fox sighed and nodded. "You put it in the warmer? Cause it looks like you need my help already."

"Just get changed and eat while doing dishes." Fox grinned as Falco swore loudly. "Manner's now Falco, we're in public."

The avian waited until no one but Fox could see him to flip him off. Causing Fox to chuckle to himself. It felt good to have his team back under SFP's roof.

_'It's like we never even left.'_

* * *

><p><strong>Yay! The old crew is back! What kind of crazyiness will they get into? Stay tuned!<strong>

H-T


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3! Enjoy!

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><p><strong>SFP – 3:30PM<strong>

"Last order is in Fox!" Kiko called as he placed a fifteen inch meats pizza in the oven. Once he was done, he went to go help Falco with the dishes.

"Phones are silent Fox." Slippy reported. "Looks like you guys might actually get a break before you leave."

"That would be great." a very tired looking Krystal said as she walked back from the dining room with a few trays. "I don't think we've stopped since we got here." She looked over at Fox who was manning the ovens. "You still alive over there Fox?"

"Somehow." Fox stretched his arms before taking out a few pizzas. He cut them up and boxed them. "Large works, medium fingers. Someone move this out of my way." Slippy took the completed order and handed it to the customer. "It's going to be two/three minutes for the next one."

"Hey Kiko!" Falco called to the white vulpine. "I couldn't help but notice that you aren't doing anything right now... and I could sure use some help on this mountain of dishes."

Kiko looked over at the pile of dishes. Though it wasn't as bad as Falco had claimed, he did begin helping him.

"I've been here for as long as Fox and Krystal... I haven't had a break yet. I only told a few people you guys were coming back." Kiko laughed as he pulled out a clean tray of dishes and pans. "I knew Star Fox was popular, but damn."

"It's a blessing and a curse." Falco grinned. "But yeah, I wouldn't have told anyone that we were coming back. Shit like this happens all the time." Kiko laughed with him as they continued to tackle the shrinking pile of dishes.

"Last order up!" Fox shouted as he wiped his brow. He handed the order to Krystal with a smile. "Looks like you haven't lost your touch here."

Krystal returned the smile. "Thanks to all of your training." She gave him a quick peck on the cheek before walking out front. "Order four oh four?"

"That's me!" said the customer. Krystal looked at the vixen walking towards her, she looked familiar. The vixen had white and black fur, white hair, and a white tipped tail. What had really sparked a memory in her mind was the multicolored eyes. One green, and one blue. "Storm?"

The vixen took a few seconds to look Krystal over, as if she was offended that her server knew her. Then she recognized the blue vixen. "Krystal?" The two girls instantly went for a hug. "I haven't seen you in forever! What's up?"

"We've got a lot to catch up on." Krystal turned to see Fox standing near the oven. "Is it okay if I go on break now Fox?"

"Of course my dear." Fox replied with a smile as he took more dishes back to Falco and Kiko. Krystal quickly washed her hands and made her way to the table Storm was now sitting in.

"So Krys, how did you end up here?" Storm asked as the blue vixen sat down. "I mean, working with Fox McCloud is any girl's dream. I thought you were still with Panther."

Krystal sighed. "A lot has changed since we first met."

* * *

><p><em>Flashback – Corneria 2 years ago<em>

An eighteen year old Krystal looked forward, her bag of clothes and personal belongings strapped to her shoulder. "Well, here I am... Corneria."

She noticed instantly that a lot of people were staring at her, more than likely due to her fur colour. She grabbed her wallet and headed for the nearest clothing store. About an hour later she had three new outfits. Once she had changed into one of her new outfits, a pair of tight blue jeans and a long sleeve plain black t-shirt. She figured it would be time to look around and get used to the new planet.

"Hey!" Krystal turned around to see a vixen walking towards her. The vixen had white and black fur, and as she got closer, Krystal noticed that she had two different colored eyes. The vixen extended her hand. "You forgot your change."

Krystal mentally smacked herself. "Thank you. I'm kinda new to this planet." Krystal took the credits from the vixen. "My name is Krystal."

"It's nice to meet you Krystal." The black and white vixen replied. "My name is Storm. Hey, you want me to give you a tour? I've lived here all my life and I can show you were you should and shouldn't go."

Krystal smiled, not thinking she'd make a new friend so quickly. "Sure. That would be great!" Storm grabbed Krystal's hand and led her outside. "Whoa..."

"Never seen a skyscraper before? What planet are you from anyway?" Storm giggled as Krystal continued to stare at the huge building. "Krystal?"

"Oh sorry." Krystal's face burned red. "I'm from Cerinia, we're a bit behind Cornerian technology. It's also why I have this accent." Krystal looked back down to the other vixen.

"Cerinia?" Storm thought for a second. "I don't think I've heard of it... is it in the Lylat system?" Krystal shook her head. "Well, do you have anywhere to stay?"

Again Krystal shook her head.

"I was going to look for a cheap hotel. I wanted to get a feel for this place before I looked for a job." Krystal hug her head. "I left without my parent's blessing, and for that I cannot go back."

"That's a little harsh don't you think?" Storm asked, Krystal only shrugged at her new friend. "Well, I've got a place, you are more than welcome to come stay with me."

"I don't want to be a burden." Krystal adjusted her bag on her shoulder. "Besides we just met."

"Please, there is a lot of people that stay there, one more pretty face wont hurt." Storm smiled at Krystal. "Come on, it'll be fun. You'll have a roof over your head until you find another place."

Krystal felt relief wash over her. "I won't stay too long. I just need to get used to this place first."

"Don't worry Krystal. I'll take care of you." Storm grabbed Krystal's hand and led her outside. "Welcome to Corneria!"

_Present _

* * *

><p>"You know." Storm laughed. "You didn't stay at my place long. Panther came over one night and bam, you two connected and before I knew it-."<p>

"I was gone." Krystal whispered. Storm's smile didn't leave her face. "Sorry about that. I feel like I ditched you."

"Please, I was happy for you. Panther is a great guy..." Storm stopped to think about what she had said. "Well, he is until you get to see his true colors. I swear that guy has tried to sweet talk everything, and I mean everything, in my kitchen more than once." Krystal giggled with the vixen. "I assume things between you guys didn't go so well."

"You could say that." Krystal growled. "Took him five months to cheat on me, then I left that live behind me. All the parties, all the people I knew, everything that had a connection to Panther I threw away."

"I've been meaning to catch up with you Krys." Storm looked down at the table and sighed. "I've been hearing rumors about you."

"Such as?" Krystal raised an eyebrow at Storm.

"Well, were to start? You've been captured by Star Wolf and taken to some weird planet only to be rescued by Fox McCloud of all people. Plus, people are saying that you're going out with the Hero of Lylat. Oh, and that you've been made a member of the Star Fox team." Storm counted on her hand. "Am I missing anything?"

Krystal shook her head with a chuckle. "Well, that's all true." As if on cue Fox walked up to the pair, resting a hand on Krystal's shoulder. "What's up Fox?"

"You're twenty minutes into a fifteen minute break." Fox smirked as Krystal began to panic. "I guess you'll just have to join me on our lunch break." Fox took a seat beside Krystal, and unwrapped his lunch. "Hey, who's your new friend?"

"Oh, where are my manners?" Krystal said after Fox put his arm around her. "Fox this is Storm, Storm this is Fox McCloud. My boyfriend."

"F-fox..." Storm hadn't been so close to someone that famous before and she was so star-struck she nearly passed out. "Hey."

"Storm was the first person on Corneria I met. She helped me out, gave me a place to stay. She's the reason I didn't end up on the streets." Krystal explained. Fox smiled at Storm.

"Well any friend of Krystal's a friend of mine!" Storm returned the smile before looking at her watch.

"Crap. I need to get going, the guys back at the apartment are hungry." Storm quickly got up and made for the door. "Krys, my door is always open. I'm at the same place, bring Fox with you!"

"Later Storm!" Krystal called to the vixen, who waved back before disappearing into Solar's fading light. "I owe her a lot."

"She seems like a nice enough girl." Fox handed Krystal a half of his oven sub. Krystal thanked him and began to eat. "So, what was it like living on Corneria with Storm?"

"She knows how to party." Krystal grinned. "She never served alcohol to minors though, and if she caught anyone they got forcefully removed from said party. She lived in a rougher neighborhood than she would let on. She has a huge heart, if it got too cold outside she invited the homeless in to get warm."

"Wow." Fox finished up his half of the sub before continuing. "She should get honored for her services to Lylat."

"Oh, she doesn't want fortune and fame for what she believes everyone should do." Krystal smiled and leaned into Fox. "She just loves helping people."

"Well, the least I can do is give her a discount here. That way she can surprise the people she's feeding a little more often." Fox quickly kissed Krystal before he stood up. "Our break is over in five minutes. Kiko said he had something for me to look at before he left."

"Alright." Krystal leisurely ate her sub.

She felt a bit guilty for using most of Fox's lunch break, and decided to force Fox to take a full lunch break tomorrow. As she finished she clean off the table, and tossed her trash into the garbage.

"Hey who was that vixen you were talking too?" Falco asked as Krystal walked outback. She noticed that he was done with the dishes and was finishing up an order.

"That was Storm, she's an old friend." Krystal quickly washed her hands and went over to help the avian.

"Storm huh? Doesn't ring a bell." Falco shrugged. "She friends with anyone else I know?"

"Panther." Krystal growled. Falco nearly dropped his completed pizza. "I know, I know. She actually introduced us, and he was quite the gentleman at the beginning."

"Then he turns into this bad guy and you realize that he couldn't be the one for you and so on." Falco sighed. "Does Fox know about that? We could use her to get intel on Star Wolf!"

"Get intel on Star Wolf? That's what Pepper is for." Slippy laughed as he walked by with some tools. "Now, has anyone seen my self adjusting wrench? I swear I just had it in my hand."

"Slippy does have a point. Pepper has spies for this sort of thing. I don't want get Storm wrapped up in this." Krystal handed Falco a finished small garlic fingers. "Besides, Fox would have to put in that request wouldn't he?"

"True, but lets face it. Fox will do anything for you, and if you wanted this he could get it done." Falco walked to the front of the oven, leaving Krystal to think over what he had said.

She could get Storm to get info from Panther on Star Wolf, in theory it would be quite easy. On the other hand if Panther caught on to their scheme it could cost Storm her life. Krystal shook her head. There was no way she could ask Storm to do that for the team, regardless of how willing she would be.

"Something on your mind Krys?" Fox asked as he came out of the office.

"Yeah, I'd rather not discuss it now. Later though." Krystal forced a smile and looked over at Falco. "It's more of a team thing rather than a pizzeria thing."

"Alright." Fox turned to see Kiko leaving the office. "So Kiko, we'll see you bright and early tomorrow morning, eh?" Kiko gave Fox a mock salute before exiting out the back door.

"Tomorrow will likely be slower than today since there really isn't a good special going." Falco leaned on the counter as he waited for the order to cook.

"That means you can sleep in till noon." Fox laughed. "And it'll give you more time to beat my score."

"On what? That last advanced flight sim? That's a joke and you know it. I'll have it beat within an hour. Then what am I supposed to do until the sun comes up?"

"Slippy should be done that new level soon, then we can get Peppy to send us over some stuff from the military. I heard that Bill helped design their hardest course." Fox laughed as he saw Falco's eyes light up.

"Oh how I would love to be able to rub it in their face." Falco used his hands to underline an invisible title. "Ace Pilot Mercenary destroys military record. It'll make headlines for sure!"

"Yeah, on the one military approved news letter." Fox laughed. "Alright, Krys and I are headed home. We'll see you guys in a few hours."

"Whatever, leave me with Slip. I'll make sure he gets everything fixed so you can actually get something done while you're here." Fox nodded and waited for Krystal to get changed before leaving the restaurant for the day.

"Feels good getting out of here before close huh?" Krystal asked as they got into the SUV.

"It's awkward and amazing at the same time." Fox chuckled. "We still have to hit the gym and do a few simulations before we're technically done for the day though."

"Bring it on." Krystal cheered as they made their way to Fox's house.

As they drove Krystal thought back to seeing Storm again today. Maybe she would take her up on her offer and bring Fox to meet her friends. She grinned and grabbed Fox's hand in her own. _'How would everyone react to seeing me with Fox?'_ Fox squeezed her hand, causing her too look over at him. Krystal's grin turned into a smile. _'Oh yeah, that is going to happen for sure.'_

"So you going to beat Falco's high score first, or should I?" They shared a laugh as the pulled up at the Star Fox mansion.

* * *

><p><strong>SFP – 20 minutes later<strong>

"In conclusion, this wrench is going to sell like hot cakes." Slippy had just finished giving Falco a lecture on the particular tool he was using. Falco had nearly fallen asleep twice, and was working on a third time when Slippy had finished. "And I'm going to order a full set for the Great Fox!"

"Slippy..." Falco rubbed his eyes and yawned. "I really hate working nights here with you."

* * *

><p><strong>And<strong> there we go, another chapter done. Kiko is owned by Jumanji8 and Storm is owned by ~StormtheDragon over on DA.

See you guys soon,

H-T


	4. Chapter 4

**Just rolling along! Enjoy Chp.4!**

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><p><strong>Sargasso Space Station – 8:00 PM<strong>

Wolf O'Donnell was not a happy camper. Not that he had anything to really be bitter about. Unless you considered the fact that nothing had ever worked out in his favor. He picked up an old news holo-disk that he had read months before.

_'Star Fox saves Lylat once again!'_

Wolf threw the hologram away in a fit of disgust. It wasn't fair, how could Fox continuously be this lucky? It was like some godly force controlled his actions, constantly beating impossible odds. The newly renamed Sauria had been a testament to that incredible luck. With a sigh of aggravation Wolf stood up and headed for the common room.

Most of his men stopped to either salute or nod at their leader. Wolf barely noticed any of them, his mind still fixated on how unfair the world was. "Sir, Panther has returned from Corneria." One of his soldiers said as he walked by. Wolf managed a nod in acknowledged the report before turning down the hall towards the room.

"You look grumpier than usual Wolf." Wolf looked over at Leon and growled. "Oh my apologies, you look like shit. Better?"

"I've been thinking is all." Wolf sat down across from Leon rubbing his forehead. "Four months since we've done anything worth the media's time, and we're still sitting here with our thumbs up our asses."

"Someone's getting cabin fever." Panther laughed as he entered the room, taking a seat in an unoccupied couch. "You need to get out more, a trip to Corneria always helps me out."

"Getting drunk and having a cock drawn on my shirt isn't my idea of fun." Wolf grumbled, causing Leon to chuckle.

"Hey!" Panther shouted. "That only happened once, and it was you guys that did it to me." Wolf shook his head at the jungle cat, wondering how he managed to survive as long as he did.

"Sir, we have an incoming transmission."

"Alright, bring it up here." Wolf ordered. He leaned forward in his seat and grinned. People only contacted his team for one reason. He grinned as the familiar face of Andrew Oikonny appeared before him. "Oikonny. Last time I saw your sorry ass was when McCloud shot it down."

"Quiet you!" Andrew barked. "That was a long time ago."

"And I'm sure you remember it like it was yesterday." Leon laughed as he folded his arms across his chest.

"Who is this loser?" Panther asked. Andrew turned to face him, a scowl on his face.

"I am the nephew of the great emperor Andross, and by that logic, you will show me the respect I deserve!" Andrew yelled.

"Ok princess, don't blow a gasket." Wolf grinned. "Why did you need us?"

"Fine, down to business." Andrew glared at Panther once more before turning to face Wolf. "As you know Fox McCloud defeated my uncle over Sauria."

"Old news, we were there... in theory." Leon sighed. "Not that the doctor ever paid us for kidnapping Krystal."

"You guys left him to die from what I heard." Andrew pointed a finger at Leon. "I should be collecting on the bounty you three have placed on your heads."

"But instead you choose to contact us, from the safety of Venom I bet." Wolf yawned, clearly unimpressed with the monkey. "Cut to the point Oikonny before I cut this link."

"I have a plan to get McCloud back into his Arwing." Wolf's interest picked up.

"I doubt anything will get Fox back into his ship. He's been training Krystal to fly the Arwing, if what our sources tell us is true. But he has yet to be seen flying one himself." Wolf motioned for Oikonny to continue.

"He'll have to get back to his roots if we take away what matters to him the most." Andrew grinned, already seeing himself get revenge for his uncle. "Venom has been building her forces since the Lylat war. We're nearly ready to begin another assault on Corneria."

"Cause that worked out so well the last time." Leon muttered. "It has ten times the defences as it did the last time Venom attacked. Not to mention we've only got three fighters, and back then we had four."

"I am well aware of that." Andrew spat. "I have taken control of Andross' forces. We will soon be greater in number than anything Corneria currently has."

"So, we're just going to pretend that McCloud's team wont get involved?" Panther laughed. "If memory serves four men did the work of an entire army. How do you plan on beating them?"

"That's why I called you." Andrew's body disappeared, leaving nothing but his head and images of fighters. "I have gone a head and made arrangements for upgrades on your Wolfens. This is to be considered partial payment for services rendered."

Needless to say their interests had been peaked as they watched their old ships get turned into new fighting machines. Wolf smiled evilly, watching himself take down Fox once and for all. "So, how are you getting McCloud out of the restaurant?"

"Simple." Andrew body reappeared. "By getting rid of it."

"A direct attack?" Panther brought his hand to his chin. "Wouldn't that be considered an act of war? I mean, Fox is on a name to name basis with General Pepper."

"I wouldn't worry to much about it Panther." Leon laughed. "With these ships we could fly from Corneria to Sauria without even stopping. The military doesn't even have a ship that could catch our old ones, and the Arwing is nothing compared to these."

"So, do I have your help?" Andrew looked at all three members individually. Wolf looked over to Leon who seemed lost in a daydream, likely about shooting down Falco. He looked over at Panther, the jungle cat seemed confused.

"We're in. Despite your failures when you were on my team, I'll help you out this time. I will warn you, if things look bad we're getting out of their. Our bounties will likely triple when officials learn we're working together again." Andrew smiled wickedly before bowing.

"I will forward all the information I have to you. Briefing will begin in four hours. Oikonny out." With that Andrew disappeared, leaving the team alone.

"I don't like this boss." Panther sighed. "What if he-"

"Shut up." Wolf snapped, standing up quickly. "He's paying for your beer run. If you want those to stop by all means, sit this one out."

"We'll need him Wolf, two against four is a suicide fight." Leon stood as well. "Let's get some battle plans going." The two left, leaving Panther alone.

"This isn't how I'll win her back." Panther thought out loud. He got up to leave but stopped as Oikonny returned. "Yes?"

"I had forgot to mention. We'll need to kidnap Krystal. I want you to get down to Corneria and get it done." Panther smirked and nodded. "By the way, if Fox doesn't come rescue her, you may do what you wish." Any doubts Panther had about the plan vanished at the though of being alone with Krystal. "Glad to have you on board."

* * *

><p><strong>SFP – 8:30 PM<strong>

"Everything is fixed... I think." Slippy wiped the sweat off his brow and put his tools back in their case. "Well, until one of us breaks something again."

"I'm sure our fearless leader will be pleased with your progress." Falco replied in a dry tone. "I swear this stuff breaks more than our Arwings."

"At least I can tinker with them, this stuff is pretty bland." Slippy laughed. "Maybe Fox will upgrade this stuff soon."

"Doubtful, lots of our funds are tied up with the Great Fox and the Arwings." Falco grumbled. "I still don't see why Krystal gets a new one while we get stuck with the old ones."

"We're all getting new ones Falco." Slippy walked up front, the avian quickly followed him there. "I can tell by your silence that you didn't know. Or, you didn't pay attention when Fox was telling us about it."

"Was I playing a game?" Slippy nodded. "There ya go. Tell me to pause or something next time."

"We did." Slippy said flatly. "Four times."

"Whatever." Falco waved Slippy away as he stood by a phone. "Man this place dies down during the night eh? You'd think we would be busier."

"I don't mind it. Gives us a chance to get things caught up you know?" Slippy put his tools in the office and shut the door behind him. As he came back two people walked into the store.

"Holy shit! Is that Falco Lambardi?"

"Slippy Toad? I knew Star Fox ran this place, but I didn't think they worked here anymore." Falco looked up with a smug grin on his face.

"What can I help you guys with today?" he asked.

"Uh.. is Kiko here?" The female asked, looking around. "Cause he told us to drop by tonight and get our schedules.

"Uh..." Slippy looked over at Falco, then back to the two people. "Schedules."

"Ya, it tells us when we work. They get created weekly, starting to ring a bell yet?" The male replied, causing Falco to snicker at the toad.

"They got you there Slip." Falco turned to face the two once more. "So, why do you need schedules anyway?"

"We work here?" The female extended her hand. "Name's Jordan, this guy here is James."

"Oh Fox is just going to love this." Falco kept his smile and shook their hands. "Let's give Kiko a call, shall we?" Falco picked up a phone and stared at the numbers for a few seconds. "What's his number again?"

"Oh come on." James sighed and quickly walked out back taking the phone from Falco's hands and punched in the number.

"Are you always so nice to people you barely know? Especially famous people like me?" Falco folded his arms across his chest.

"Hey, I'm famous too you know!" Slippy shouted. Falco waved a finger at Slippy.

"Shush, the adults are talking." Slippy growled and went out back. Jordan rapped her fingers on the counter as they waited for Kiko to pick up his phone. "So, you going to answer me or-"

"Kiko, hey. It's James. I'm down at SFP with Jordan. Yes, of course they're both here." James looked up at Falco with a grin. "I'm playing nice, relax. What do we work? Well of course Jordan wants more hours than me. Uh huh... yeah. Wait. Forgot about me? Kiko, my heart is breaking. You'll talk to Fox about it? Thanks... I guess. Yeah, here's Jordan." James handed the phone to Jordan before walking back to the dining room.

"You want me to work when? Alright." Jordan looked over at James. "Yeah, we'll see you tomorrow. Falco? Yeah, here you go."

Falco took the phone from Jordan. "Ok... what the fuck is going on?"

"Sorry Falco. I was going to mention this to you two before I left. Kinda slipped my mind." Kiko laughed nervously. "I'll get a hold of Fox and let him know about James."

"That's kind of a big thing to forget to mention don't you think?" Falco looked over at his newest coworkers.

"I know, I know. Fox knows about Jordan. I didn't know if James was staying here or going to a new job." Kiko seemed to be searching for a paper of some kind. "Hey could you do me a favour?"

"And not call Fox and let him know what just happened?" Falco laughed. "Hey man, it's your ass not mine." With that Falco hung up the phone. "Hey Slip, I guess we've got two more people on board."

"Wonderful. Maybe now I can go oversee repairs and upgrades on the Great Fox." Slippy cheered.

"We'll see, Fox might not like what Kiko has to say." Falco looked at the phone as it rang, for a second unsure of what to do. _'What I would give to hear Fox chew Kiko out.'_

* * *

><p><strong>More people workin at SFP?<strong> Star Wolf is up to something with Oikonny holding the reins? Teh plot thickens!

Jordan is owned by Zythxx aka Phantasy-Star

James is owned by 800M23

Kiko is owned by Jumanji8

All OC's used with permission.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5 coming at ya!

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><p><strong>SFP – 9:30 am<strong>

"You're sure you don't mind working a short shift today?" Kiko asked for the fifth time that morning. With a sigh Krystal turned to face the arctic fox.

"For the last time. No. I could use some extra time in the simulator anyway." She turned back to the mixer, watching it slowly turn the mixture of water, flour, and yeast into dough. She sensed that Kiko still didn't believe her, and was about to ask again. "Ask me one more time and I will complain about it."

"Alright, alright. I am sorry about the short notice. I didn't think James was going to come back." Kiko left Krystal to the boring task of dough and went looking for Fox. He found him in the office looking over some paperwork. Kiko gulped nervously, hoping Fox would find everything in a satisfactory state. He knocked cautiously a few times on the partially shut door.

"Come in." Fox waved Kiko in, not bothering to look up. "It's nice to see you've kept the budget. I was worried about it."

Kiko felt a wave of relief wash over him. "Well, I did what I could with what was given to me." Fox finally looked up and grinned. "I don't think Kara really knew what to do as a manager."

Fox laughed and nodded. "Compared to the other guys, she was the best choice. Anyway, I wont be much longer here, just reading up on James."

Kiko instantly felt nervous. "About him... sorry I didn't tell you sooner. I was going to... but..."

"Yes I know, you didn't think he was coming back. I was listening when you called me last night. It's fine with me. I can get more official Star Fox work done with James here." Fox moved a few papers around assertively, as if he was looking for something and was sure he'd find it quickly. "Does seem a little weird though, I thought Pepper only wanted military personal working here. Why bring on two outside part timers?"

Kiko shrugged. "Hey he called me up one day. Told me to pick two people, they happened to be the top two resumes on my pile." Kiko watched Fox continue his search for a few moments before curiosity got the better of him. "What are you looking for?"

"I put my keys down on this desk. Worst life choice ever." Fox grumbled as he sat down. He was quick to spring back up however, as he found his keys in a painful way. Kiko had to fight to keep from laughing.

"Kiko, if you hold that in you'll burst." Krystal giggled as she walked into the office. She patted Fox on the head before Kiko finally lost control. Fox tried to glare at the other vulpine but ended up laughing with him. "Almost as good as the time Falco lost his comm. Turned out he mistook it for a cup holder."

"Man, was he ever trashed that night." Fox said with nostalgia as he shook his head at the memory. Krystal went back to the mixer when she heard the buzzer. Fox decided to follow her to see if she needed help. He watched her struggle with the fresh batch of dough for a few minutes before coming to her rescue. "Not as easy as it looks huh?"

"Some sort of devil work going on there." She growled as she backed away from it. "How do you do it?"

Fox didn't respond at first. He just acted on impulse, he used his legs as a table before pulling the dough out of the bowl. It took him a few pulls before it was all in his lap.

"Need me to explain how I did that?" He looked over his shoulder at her as he set the dough on the counter. Krystal shook her head and pushed him out of the way. "Again, the chart is in front of you. I'll get Jordan to start veggie prep when she gets here. Then I'll take over for you."

"What courses do you want me to run when I get home?" Krystal asked as she began cutting the dough for the large pizzas. "Same ones as yesterday?"

Fox thought about it for a moment. Krystal had been doing exceptionally well on the beginner and intermediate courses, and he believed she was ready for some advanced stuff. When he looked back at his girlfriend he remembered he could just think his response.

_'Try some advanced stuff, if it's too hard you can redo the same courses from yesterday.' _Fox grinned at her as she turned around. Krystal pulled him into a hug as best she could without getting flour all over him. "Of course, if you want you could just try to beat some old records too."

"I think I'll decide once I get home." Krystal said as she went back to the dough.

"You two are so cute!" Fox and Krystal turned to see Jordan leaning against the prep table. "Please, don't stop with the affection!"

Fox felt his cheeks burn as he scratched the back of his head. "You... weren't supposed to be here for another hour."

Jordan giggled. "Well, when you're scheduled to work with two of the most famous people in Lylat you tend to make a good first impression." She extended her hand. "Name's Jordan, it's nice to meet you guys. I didn't think the rumours were true."

"That we weren't together?" Fox chuckled. "You aren't the first, guess we've been keeping to ourselves. It's been nice not having the media constantly hanging around my house."

"I'll bet. It's nice to have some alone time eh?" Jordan pushed herself off the table. "Well, I can be a fan-girl later. We've got prep to do. What should I start with?"

Fox cringed at the thought of another fan-girl, let alone one he'd have to work with. He looked over at Krystal who started rolling the cut dough into balls. "I guess... onions?"

Jordan vocalized her annoyance but still went over to get the onions. Fox turned to see Krystal finishing up the balls of dough. She nearly ran into him as she took off her apron. "Sorry... You, uh... want me to do anything else before I go home?"

Fox chuckled as he took the apron from her. "Nope, I'll see you in a few hours hon." Krystal smiled and gave him a quick kiss. He pulled the key to his SUV out of his pocket and handed it to her. "Don't forget to come get me."

She laughed and playfully hit him. "I'll make Falco take the bike." With a final hug she left the restaurant.

Jordan set an empty bowl down on the prep table, causing Fox to jump and face her. "What?"

"Jordan! Don't give Fox a heart attack!" Kiko yelled from the office.

"I'm sure Fox is used to loud noises. He is a pilot." Jordan grinned at Fox. "Besides, why just work and have no fun, right?"

Fox nodded. "I'm just used to working her by myself, it'll take me a bit to adjust."

"Fox, come here a minute." Kiko looked out of the office, a phone in his hand. Fox made his way to the office, tying the apron around his waist as he did. Kiko tapped on a piece of paper before returning to the call. "Ah, yes. I need to place a stock order. I've been on hold for five minutes. Fine."

"Never liked calling that place." Fox picked up the paper and read it. It was an email from someone he didn't want to hear from.

_'Dear Foxie,_

_I haven't forgotten what Krystal promised me. I know I hurt you and I know you two are together. If you need me to start working for you at SFP please let me know. We had something amazing Fox and I'm such an idiot to have let it go._

_Anyway, not what I wanted to tell you. Wait, I told you what I wanted to tell you. Oh, this DAMN voice to text thing... STOP WRITING DOWN EVERYTHING! OH COME THE FU-_

_Hey what do you know this thing has a mute button. So, get a hold of me if you want me to start working!_

_Love, Fara.'_

Fox stared at the paper, he wanted to burn it. Fara had betrayed his trust, broke his heart, threw everything he'd given her back in his face. It angered him that Fara had tricked Krystal into almost giving up her job at SFP. He crumpled the paper into a ball and tossed it into the trash. "Kiko, block any messages from that email address. She's been blacklisted." Fox didn't stay to hear the arctic vulpine's response. Jordan made an attempt to talk to him, but backed off as she saw his face. He turned on a few machines to drown out his vocal outbursts._ 'I'll be damned if she tries to pry her way back into my life.'_

**McCloud Residence – 6 hours later**

Krystal yawned and stretched. She had been in the simulator for the better part of the day, and had made very good progress. Falco had joined her for a few dog fights earlier before he headed for SFP. She came close to beating him, but the avian was the ace pilot for a reason. She padded down the steps from the sim room, eager to see Fox when he came home.

"It's boring around her when you're all alone." Krystal thought out loud as got to the kitchen. She poured herself a glass of water before heading to the living room. Though she was lonely, she did enjoy the peaceful atmosphere of the mansion. "What game... what game?" She quickly skimmed over the pile of games the team owned. Most she had already beaten on her own, or co-op, others she had no interest in. She picked up a shooter game and flopped onto the couch. "Doesn't seem to different from the last one I played." With a huff she tossed the game back onto the pile. '_I wonder when Fox will be home... oh shi-'_

"Hey Krys! I'm home!"

Krystal beamed as she heard Fox close the door behind him. Trying to think of a way to make up for forgetting him. "I'm in the living room! Come save me from this boredom." She heard him chuckle as he poked his head into the room. "Have a good day? Sorry about not coming to get you."

"Yes and no. Jordan is an absolute riot, really fun to work with. Shameless flirt too." Fox shook his head. "I'll have to get Falco later. I took the bike home." Fox frowned, Krystal was happy to see him. He didn't really want to ruin her good mood, with a heavy sigh he continued. "Fara sent me an email. Told me she was ready to start whenever."

"That deceitful bitch." Krystal lowered her head, cursing herself for letting herself get tricked. "I could have stopped that from happening."

Fox quickly moved to Krystal, holding her hands in his. "This isn't your fault Krys. Fara is just to thick headed to know when to quit." He lifted her chin up so she looked him in the eye. "Now, I want you to pick a movie for us to watch. Whatever you want, I need to get a shower. Feels like I have flour imbedded in my fur."

After a while, Krystal had a movie picked out, and Fox had returned from his shower. As soon as they got comfortable the room dimmed and the movie started. The movie had bits of action, adventure, comedy, and romance. Before the end of it, Krystal had fallen asleep on Fox's lap, exhausted from her day in the simulator. Fox looked down at her as the credits rolled, and ran a hand through her hair. For a while he watched her sleep, the day seemed to fade away, nothing mattered to him except her.

* * *

><p><strong>I <strong>wasn't 100 percent happy with how this chapter came out. It's why it took me like a month to post it... I must have written it like twenty times before I told myself to suck up and post something. Next update will be quicker, I promise.

****H-T


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6 - Coming at ya in record time!

* * *

><p><strong>SFP – 11:50 AM<strong>

Falco grumbled as he finished cutting the last pizza in the first rush of the day. It wasn't particularly bad, but that didn't mean Falco enjoyed them. "Everything's out Slip." He called, taking some pans to the dishwasher.

"Ok." Slippy called back, checking over the slips before handing out the completed orders to the awaiting customers. He walked to the oven and began pushing more used pans to Falco. "I didn't think it would end."

"Me either." Falco pushed a loaded tray of dishes into the washer, the pans rattled in protest of his aggression. "I hate morning shifts. I hate mornings in general actually." Slippy laughed and walked back out front. He saw a younger looking male cougar coming towards him, an open box in his hand.

"Something I can help you with?" Slippy asked as he saw a barely touched pizza in the box. "Something wrong with the pizza?"

"You guys kinda fucked it up." The cougar tossed the box at Slippy. "See, we ordered a medium works without green peppers on it. And I'm pretty sure that one is cover in them." Slippy asked for the slip and quickly skimmed it over. The slip didn't say 'no green peppers' on it anywhere. "Look, I don't mind green peppers, but one of my buddies over there." The cougar pointed absently over his shoulder toward a small group of people. "Is allergic to them."

"I see." Slippy shut the box and handed it back to the customer. "Well, next time please clarify that. I'll make another one up for you, without peppers on it. You can keep that one as well. Should only be seven minutes. I'll bring it out to you once it's done."

Without a thank you or anything the cougar went back to his buddies and sat back down. Slippy walked out back and pulled out a medium dough. It only took him a few minutes for him to whip it up and toss it into the oven. As he put a hand written slip on the counter Falco grabbed the final pile of dishes. "What's up? Making something for your lunch?"

Slippy shook his head. "Apparently we somehow messed up a works. That cougar kid supposedly asked for no green peppers on his works. I didn't see anything about it on his receipt, but I made a new one anyway." They heard a knock at the back door. "Must be Krystal, I'll go let her in."

Falco sighed. "I wish people could their orders right the first damn time." As if to make matters worse, the phone began to ring. The avian looked over to see Slippy and Krystal chatting, he wanted to let one of them get it. As the second ring cried out Falco walked to it and picked it up. "Thanks for calling SFP, can I help you?"

"That isn't proper call flow!" Falco chuckled at Fox's comment. "But hey, you're the guy I wanted to talk to anyway."

"What's up Foxie? You gonna gloat about beating my score? Cause I've already beaten it myself!" Falco heard Fox laugh. "Well?"

"Nah, I'm too busy today. Listen, I need a favour." Fox took a breath before continuing. "I had some... interesting reports come into my information stream this morning. Something that shouldn't have been pushed through. It's got a military encryption on it."

Falco's interest was peaked to say the least. "You thinking we might need to step in and help?"

"I'm not sure, not yet anyway. I'm on my way to see Pepper, Peppy's meeting me there. I need to find out if this was accidentally sent to me, or intentionally. I don't know how long I'll be, so I need you to pull a double, or call in one of the part timers." Fox had an uneasy tone in his voice, it unnerved Falco's normally cocky attitude.

"I'll do the double shift Foxie. Just let us know what's going on asap." Falco watched Slippy walk out to the dining area with a freshly cooked pizza. "Anything else?"

"I heard a rumour that Panther is on Corneria." He heard Fox growl. "We haven't heard anything from Star Wolf in four months, but I'll be damned if we let anything happen. Watch out for Krys for me, alright?"

"Don't worry about Blue. I wont make the same mistakes as last time. Keep us posted."

Falco hung up the phone and looked over his shoulder. He saw Krystal cleaning up the prep table. _'I'll be ready for them this time.'_

* * *

><p><strong>?-?<strong>

A dark figure moved towards a local bar. It had been some time since they had been there; Long enough to maybe not have a tab to pay. They slid into the nearly empty bar and sat down on a stool. A lone cheetah walked behind the counter, cleaning it as he went. Soft music played in the background, echoing over the creaks of the worn wooden floor. The cheetah looked over at his new guest and made his way towards them.

"What's your poison, stranger?" The barkeep asked before nearly dropping the glass he had been cleaning. "P-panther?"

The jungle cat grinned at the fearful bartender. Pleased with how his fame still affected Cornerians. "Give me a few samples, and I wont give this place a bad review."

The bartender stood his ground for a few seconds. Normally a remark like that would get the patron kicked out, but there was something in the way Panther had spoke that sent a chill down the cheetah's spine. He quickly poured a few shots of the nearest alcohol and placed them before Panther. "If you need anything else give me a shout." The cheetah maintained his professional appearance, but let out a sigh of relief as he got further away. Panther drank both shots, shuddering as the burn of alcohol as the dark rum slid down his throat.

Panther pulled out his scouter, placing the small device on his ear. "Alright Oikonny, I'm in Corneria. Twenty minutes from SFP."

Oikonny high pitched laugh nearly caused his ear to bleed. "Good work Caruso. My sources have that blue vixen leaving the restaurant around ten this evening. Until then go over your plan, try not to get too drunk. Oikonny out."

"Her name is Krystal damn it." Panther growled. How dare that monkey not show respect? This was the only reason he went along with this plan. That and the pay was good. Panther called the cheetah over again, slapping some credits on the counter. "Just make sure the drinks don't stop, and you'd better not call the police."

"You aren't the only criminal to come through my doors. You wont be the last either." the bartender said, regaining face after his initial shock. "All I ask is that you leave before close."

"Don't worry." Panther chuckled and drank down another shot. "I'll be gone long before then."

* * *

><p><strong>Cornerian Military Headquarters – 1:00PM<strong>

"Mr. McCloud, Mr. Hare." Fox and Peppy looked up at the receptionist. "General Pepper will see you now." The two stood up and entered Pepper's office.

Little had changed since Fox had been here last. The large room had red carpeting, cold steel walls, and an entire wall of windows over looking the city. In the middle of the room was Pepper's desk, a reasonably sized wooden desk with a deep mahogany stain. Papers and holo-discs littered the otherwise clean desk, behind it sat Pepper, who looked like he hadn't aged since then either. "Ah, Fox McCloud and Peppy Hare. How can I help?"

Fox pulled out his laptop and opened it. "This." He pointed to an article. "Care to explain how this got to me?"

Pepper examined the article on the screen. It showed the peace bond between Corneria and Venom becoming extremely weakened, almost to the point of war. Pepper sat back and placed his hands on his lap. "I wont lie to you Fox. Things are not going well."

"I've figured that much out on my own. Why is the treaty at risk? As far as we know Venom has no military force."

Pepper raised an eyebrow before casting a glance at the hare. "Peppy, what have you been telling him? How couldn't he have known what's been happening?"

Fox quickly turned to Peppy. "I've told him enough to keep him focused. We haven't had solid intel on Venom for years. For all we know Oikonny is bluffing. They've all been training daily in the simulators. You've seen the data yourself. I saw no reason to break their concentration with rumours."

"Pep..."

"Besides, SFP is finally getting back to normal. You really want James' dream to fall to pieces?" Peppy shook his head.

"This situation is more important that James McCloud's retirement idea. Lylat could be in as much danger as it was eight years ago, maybe more. Andross was a madman, but Oikonny can take it to a whole new level." Pepper leaned forward, wrapping his hands together. "I understand your motives Peppy, but it's time for Star Fox to become informed."

Peppy opened his mouth to say something but was cut off by Fox. "Yes, I agree with you General. What's happening?"

"About five years ago, Oikonny made a threat towards Corneria. At the time we brushed him off, sending a cease and desist order. We wanted to keep the treaty in tact, Venom eventually took power away from him, and for since then Corneria and Venom existed in uninterrupted peace." Pepper paused for a second, letting Fox soak in the information. "That was until recently, when Cerinia was destroyed just before your mission to Sauria."

"Sauria?" Fox interrupted.

"We renamed Dinosaur Planet to Sauria shortly after we returned." Peppy explained before letting Pepper continue.

"Right. We investigated the attack for some time, with little to no leads until Oikonny contacted us once more. He claimed that Andross had destroyed the planet, at the time we didn't believe him. But when you came back from Sauria and told us that you and Falco had killed Andross we took another look at the planet's core. It seemed to share the same type of magic you encountered on Sauria. It's quite possible that the planet ripped itself in the same way Sauria would have."

Fox gasped. "So... Andross destroyed Krystal's home planet."

"All the more reason to have her fight." Pepper stood up and walked to the front of his desk. "She is without a doubt the only survivor of Cerinia."

Fox looked over at Peppy then back to Pepper. "I'll tell her what happened. She deserves to know. It'll be her choice whether she fights or not."

Pepper nodded. "Fair enough. Now if you'll excuse me. I've got battle plans to draw up." Fox led Peppy outside of Pepper's office.

"How long were you going to wait until you told us?"

Peppy shuffled his feet and looked away from the vulpine's gaze. "It was only rumours Fox. I didn't want to say anything until we had proof. You know how you get when we have a mission."

Fox scoffed. "Peppy, Krystal's home planet was destroyed. I told her I'd figure out what happened."

"This was not an easy decision to make Fox. Star Fox, and its members are my first priority. That includes mental health. I had to make sure Krystal wasn't going to turn into another Fara." Peppy gave Fox a serious look. "You may not want to think about that, but I had to."

Fox wanted to be angry, but Peppy had a point. "For the four months we've been together I've been happier than I ever was with Fara. Krystal wanted to make her own way. Haven't you gotten her file yet? She came to Corneria with nothing but a suitcase."

"If you would have let me finish." Peppy said flatly. "Krystal is nothing like Fara. I've seen how she's come along with the Arwing. She's an excellent addition to the team Fox."

"Then why put this off to the last minute?"

Peppy sighed. "Too see you have to give up SFP again, and possibly being split away from Krystal was too much for me. I've never seen you so determined when you saved her on Sauria. I didn't want you to lose yourself to that focus."

"Krystal can take care of herself in an Arwing. Besides, we made an agreement. Professional in public, Relationship in private."

Peppy eyed Fox. "And should she be in danger during a mission?" Fox went to repeat himself, but stopped to think about it. What would he do if Krystal was in trouble? Could he let himself remain a leader and focus on his entire team? A thousand questions entered his mind before he looked at Peppy. "See what I mean, that stutter in a battle would kill you both. You'll have to work on this Fox. She is your girlfriend but she's also your teammate. One of them has to come first."

"I..." Fox turned and walked to the elevator. "I need to think things over. I'll see you later Pep." Fox didn't look back as the doors closed behind him. He needed to talk with Krystal, he needed to relearn how to be a squadron leader.

* * *

><p><strong>SFP – 9:30 PM<strong>

Since the lunch rush, business had slowed down. Slippy had left early to go work on more upgrade on the Great Fox. This left Krystal and Falco to clean up before they closed. Since they weren't swamped with orders, they had almost everything done. This left Krystal to deal with a very grumpy Falco.

"Come on! This last hour has been so fucking slow!" Falco yelled. Krystal giggled but had to agree with his annoyance. There was no one in the dining area, and their last call was over forty minutes ago. "We could close this place down, everything is fucking clean and ready for tomorrow."

"Despite the fact that this place is dead. We've still got to wait here for another thirty minutes." Krystal walked around, not really going anywhere in particular. "Still, would be nice if we had something to do."

Falco sat down on a few bags of flour, rubbing his face with his hands. "It's hard to guess when this place is going to be busy. This time last week this place was busy from open to close. And now today... basically nothing."

The minutes felt like hours. They heard a few people yelling and laughing pass by the back of the restaurant. Falco sighed and walked to the office, grabbing a solid lead pipe. Krystal looked up at him, a mixture of confusion and fear on her face. "This helps keep drunk people in line. I brought it here after you got captured by Star Wolf. Since the last time we closed together..." Falco stopped, they both knew what had happened. "Anyway, this is always right behind the office door in case you need it."

They both turned when they heard a loud bang at the back door. Falco motioned for Krystal to move. Renewing his grip on the pipe. Another bang made Krystal yelp and jump behind the avian. With a final bang the hinges on the door came loose. An eerie silence filled the prep area once the door had hit the floor.

"Listen Krystal." Falco whispered. "I don't know who this is, but this isn't going to end the same way as last time."

The intruder began to hum. It sounded unfamiliar to the two teammates. They looked at each other, then back to the door. Falco pulled Krystal down behind the prep table as the intruder came inside. He put a finger to his lips before looking over the counter top. He instantly recognized the black jungle cat in the prep area. _'The hell is Panther doing here?'_

"Oh Krystal!" Panther sang, laughing as he walked closer to them. "Come to me my pretty little vixen."

Falco looked over at Krystal and pointed to the office. Krystal nodded and rushed to the office, shutting the door behind her. Panther snapped to the source of the noise, snickering to himself. "You can't hide Krystal."

Falco waited until Panther passed by him, unsure of how the jungle cat missed him until he smelled alcohol. He uttered a 'thank you' to no one before standing up behind Panther. He thought back to when the situation had been reversed. Whoever hit him left a decent sized lump on his head, and now he was going to return the favour. He swung the pipe and came down hard against Panther's head. The cat slumped to the ground unceremoniously, despite the hit, Panther didn't bleed. Falco knelt down and took his pulse, it was weak but there was one. "Krys, call Fox. Tell him he's got a package to pick up." Falco stood up, a small grin on his face. "Doesn't feel good does it?"

Through her fear, she smiled.

* * *

><p><strong>So...<strong> Panther's alcoholism is getting him into some serious trouble. What's going to happen next?

H-T


	7. Chapter 7

Don't adjust your.. uh.. TV sets? Monitors... whatever. I've updated twice in 24 hours!

* * *

><p><strong>McCloud Residence – 10:15PM<strong>

"He's not dead is he?"

"No, but Falco damn near turned him into a vegetable."

"Hey, what can I say payback's a bitch!"

"I can't believe he tried again. What's he trying to prove?"

Panther's eyes slowly opened, every light and every movement caused him pain. The voices he heard weren't in his head, he realized that as he looked around. Multiple coloured blurs greeted him, along with more sharp blasts of pain. "W-wh.." His own voice sounded foreign to him. He tried to speak again but only managed a grunt, his tongue felt as foreign as the voices sounded.

"He's awake!"

"Jeez Falco, maybe you should aim better next time. He was only out for forty-five minutes!"

"Shut up Fox. When you knock Panther out you can choose where to hit him."

"Nasty bruise he's going to have. Wont be able to play it off as a Wolfen related injury. Think Wolf will send someone to look for him?"

"I...I'm." Panther went to grab his head, but found his hands secured tightly to the chair he sat in. His vision finally cleared as he saw the entire SFP crew looking back at him. He focused on Krystal, who seemed scared of him. "I'm so sorry." Fox stepped in front of Krystal, starring down Panther.

"Explain yourself Caruso." He said sternly, folding his arms across his chest. "Quickly."

Panther knew how hopeless it would be to lie to Fox. He also knew how horrible things would be for him back at Saragasso if he told the Star Fox team Oikonny's plan. He looked over at Krystal who peaked out from behind Fox. "I... can't."

"You aren't working alone Panther. Star Wolf wouldn't have sent you without some form of back up." Falco smirked, lead pipe still in his hands. "Tell us where they are, and I might not have to make you have a pair of matching bruises."

Panther went to speak but stopped as Krystal moved in front of Fox. "Explain yourself, criminal."

Krystal's words hit him like a bucket of ice water. This isn't what he wanted, this mission was supposed to bring them closer, not drive them apart. He hung his head in shame. He tried once more to break out of his restraints, failing miserably. The entire plan as he saw it was a bust, there was no way they could get Fox back into his Arwing; Not without Krystal as bait. "What do I get if I tell you everything I know?"

"That'll depend on the information." Fox turned to Slippy and nodded. Slippy turned to leave, taking the pipe from Falco as he passed. "Slippy doesn't enjoy interrogations, but Falco and I on the other hand." Fox and Falco cracked their knuckles and stretched. "We can get our hands dirty." Falco grinned in agreement.

Panther's eye widened. He looked to Krystal for help, but felt more pain than hope. Her stare dug into him. "I'm here to make sure you aren't lying to us. I'd recommend telling the truth, I've watched these two spar."

Panther knew when he was beat. Regardless of what happened to him later, he'd at least have his life. Sitting in this increasingly uncomfortable chair, he couldn't see anything good coming out of waiting it out. "Ok, ok. I'll tell you everything. Just... don't hate me..."

Fox was taken aback by his words. He wasn't expecting the jungle cat to give up this quickly. He looked over at Falco who seemed equally as confused (and maybe a touch disappointed). "Alright Panther. Give us some good info, and you'll only have the one bruise."

Panther nodded. "A few days ago we were contacted. We hadn't had anything to do since we left Andross on Sauria. Needless to say when we got hailed we were hopeful that it was a job."

"So who contacted you?" Falco asked.

"Andrew Oikonnny." Panther shook his head. "I had no idea who this punk was, but apparently Wolf and Leon did."

"So do we. Oikonny fought with Star Wolf in the Lylat wars." Fox put a hand to his chin. "Go on."

"So Oikonny tells us that he has a plan to get you back into an Arwing. Which was our plan when we kidnapped Krystal. As I recall Wolf wasn't to pleased that you guys had saved Lylat once more. So when Oikonny came to us with a plan, we went for it." Panther sighed.

"Why so much regret?" Krystal asked as she sensed his emotions change. "You didn't want to go along with it."

"I'll get to that." Panther whispered, looking from Krystal to Fox. "Oikonny promised us upgrades to our Wolfens. They'd be equipped to outrun anything Corneria currently has, including your Arwings."

"Not that it'd matter..." Falco chuckled. "We always beat Star Wolf. No contest."

"Oikonny's plan was to hit something personal. He said something about-" Panther stopped, he couldn't think of what Oikonny was going to hit. "I... can't remember."

Fox looked over at Krystal who seemed to be focusing hard on Panther's thoughts. "It's true, when he tries to recall that memory his mind goes blank. Maybe when Falco hit him it caused slight amnesia." Falco snorted, clearly happy with his handy work.

"I wish I could remember..." Panther shook his head. "I think I remember Wolf saying something about Oikonny bluffing about the amount of soldiers he had. Leon thought it was suicide to attack Corneria, but Oikonny was dead set on taking them on."

Fox nodded. "Anything else?"

Panther shrugged. "I don't think so, nothing note worthy."

"Alright." Fox turned to face Falco motioning him to walk out of the room with him. He grabbed Krystal's hand, leaving Panther alone. Once the door was shut they formed a circle. "Was he telling the truth?"

"The whole time. Everything he told us was the truth." Krystal sighed. "He even still cares about me."

Fox felt her squeeze his hand, and smiled at her. "So, what are we going to do about Panther?"

"Screw Panther. What about Oikonny? We need to let Pepper know what's going on!" Falco shouted.

"What's up?" Slippy asked. His three teammates turned to face him.

"Oikonny is planning to attack Corneria, and has enlisted Star Wolf to help him. He wants to get me back in the Arwing." Fox explained. "Falco, go contact Pepper, let him know what we figured out. Slip, how's the repairs and upgrades coming?"

"Last I checked we were about two weeks out." Slippy checked his com. "My dad is overseeing the last bit, making last minute improvements as he goes. I'll be heading there tomorrow after I leave SFP."

"Good." Fox watched Falco take the last few steps towards his room before walking back to the room Panther was in. "Alright Panther, here's what is going to happen."

Panther looked up at the vulpine.

"You're going to be escorted to Military Headquarters. I'm going to get you sent back to Saragasso, your Wolfen will be beamed there upon your arrival. But I'm doing this so you can tell Wolf to get out before Oikonny drags him down again. He'll listen to reason."

"If I go back there empty handed, it could cause him to do something drastic before he'll listen to reason." Panther muttered. "Or worse."

"I doubt Wolf'll try again, but if he does..." Fox wrapped an arm around Krystal. "I'll be ready." Panther lowered his head. "When your escort arrives we'll be back."

* * *

><p><strong>Fox's Room – 1 hour later<strong>

Fox stared at the ceiling. So much had happened today and he was so glad it was over. He knew that he'd have to speak with Krystal about Cerinia, but the topic was hard enough to bring up in a normal conversation. How could he tell her now that Panther tried to kidnap her again, and with everything else going on? His thoughts were interrupted by a knock at the door. "Come in." He turned to see Krystal pad her way towards him. She had a kind smile on her face as she sat down on the bed near him. "What's up hon?"

"Do you think Wolf's really going to try again?" She had a worried tone in her voice. "I don't want have you constantly having to protect me from crap like this."

"Hey, hey." Fox sat up, hugging her from behind. "I'd do anything for you Krys. These guys are after you to get at me. Don't let this get to you."

"But.." Krystal was stopped as Fox kissed her.

"Krys, you are the light of my life, and I love you. Protecting you is my duty." Krystal smiled and leaned against him. They stayed like that for a few minutes before Fox finally broke the silence. "So... I was speaking with General Pepper today... They found out..."

"Who destroyed Cerinia, right?" Krystal's ears drooped. "I heard your thoughts. It was Andross... I knew something about him was familiar. I think I sensed his presence on Cerinia before I left but..." Krystal couldn't stop the tears that formed. "I hoped I wasn't the only survivor..." She felt Fox hug her tight and slowly ease them down on the bed.

"I'm sorry Krys. I wish there was something I could do..." Fox held her as she cried, he wanted her to know he would be there for her. Once she had calmed down he chanced telling her the second piece of info he had learned from his visit. "Hey Krys..."

"Yeah?"

"When we're on active duty. We're going to have to stick with our agreement. The slightest hesitation on the battlefield can get us killed." Krystal nodded but didn't say anything. "I know it's going to be hard... mostly for me, but if one of us is in trouble the other cannot just jump to the rescue."

"It could end up killing both of us." Krystal turned to face him. "I've been training to stay focused in the simulator. I've even put your mock ship at low shields to help me."

Fox smiled. "That's my girl." He mentally sighed, she was taking this better than he did. "When I'm leading Star Fox, I have to be a different person. I have to consider what's best for the team, not for one person. I'll have to be an asshole sometimes... but I want you to know that I'll still be there for you."

Krystal placed a hand on his face. "I know. You'll be the professional that you are. You're the leader, and I'm a teammate."

Fox's smile widened. "We should go out on the town tomorrow, we haven't had a date in a while!"

"Totally." Krystal replied, she got up off the bed. "I'll see you in the morning." She gave him a quick kiss before leaving Fox's room.

Fox sighed happily. Even with the threat of a war on the horizon, he knew things would work out.

* * *

><p><strong>SFP – 10:00AM<strong>

"Wait, wait... hold up." Kiko held his hands up, as if to stop the words from reaching his ears. "You two are doing the morning shift and Fox and Krystal aren't even coming in anymore?"

Slippy nodded. "The team got some big news last night. Fox told us this morning that they'd be getting a day off today, and Falco and I would get tomorrow off."

"What's up. What happened?" Kiko asked.

"Listen." Falco snapped, not really in the mood for his prying. "Fox is the leader of the team. If he wants you to know then he'll tell you. It's not our place to answer on his behalf."

Kiko sighed. "Can you blame me for being nosey? I am in the military, I know people who can help out."

"General Pepper has already been informed. Either him or Fox will let you know what's going on." Falco turned to the mixer and became suddenly interested in the dough. Kiko looked over at Slippy, who was busying himself with the veggies.

"I'll have to see if James or Jordan can come in." Kiko made his way to the office, shutting the door behind him.

Falco looked over at Slippy, they both had grim expressions on their hands. They knew that Oikonny was crazy enough to attack Corneria, and if he did it would be the first war they'd fight in since the Lylat War. The couldn't help but wonder if this war would be worse than that. Sure they were better pilots now, but what if Oikonny continued Andross's research. They might have to face a bio-weapon that could destroy entire planets. The alarm on the mixer brought them out of their thoughts. Whatever happened in the future, they knew they could handle it. They were part of the best mercenary unit in Lylat, and that had to mean something.

* * *

><p><strong>Wolf's<strong> not going to be pleased about this! Maybe he'll have to get some outside help. Nah... that wouldn't be fair.

H-T


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter 8, Enjoy!**

* * *

><p><strong>Saragasso Space Station – 1:31 PM<strong>

Panther watched his escort warp back to Corneria. Part of him wished that he could go back with them. Facing an angry Wolf wasn't high on his "shit I want to do today" list. He already felt exhausted just by the idea of what was in store for him. It was going to be worse than any other treatment he received for his indiscretions, this was a hole he had not stepped in before.

But really, how could he have gone through with Oikonny's plan? Going up against Corneria was suicide, regardless of who rallied with Venom. He couldn't think of any plan working against the massive army, let alone a direct assault. Not that it was his choice, Wolf had given their loyalty to Oikonny, and since he screwed up his part of the plan he would have to face the consequences.

"Panther, drag your sorry hide up here." Wolf's voice sent chills down the jungle cat's spine.

Whenever Wolf avoided cursing, things went from bad to worse. It was a sort of facade, a twisted head game he'd play with the grunts around the base. It always ended with bloodshed. Panther knew that keeping his boss waiting would only agitate Wolf further. With his head hung, he made his way to communications room. As he walked, he noticed a ship in the hangar he hadn't seen before. He chanced a brief stop to inspect the ship. It held a similar design to the Cornerian military.

"Panther!" Wolf bellowed, causing Panther to sprint towards his boss.

* * *

><p>Wolf tapped his foot, waiting for his final team member to show up. Word had reached him about his recent failure. He gritted his teeth, snarling. "I swear, he's more trouble than he's worth."<p>

Leon scoffed. "We should think about replacing him then."

"I have my reasons for keeping him on board. Sometimes his stupidity is our best battle tactic." Wolf turned as Panther came rushing through the door, stopping a few feet in front of him. "Well, well, well."

"Wolf... I know I fucked up bad. Worse than most times." Panther babbled and hung his head, kneeling before Wolf.

Wolf looked down at Panther with disgust. There was a thousand things he wanted to do, though only a few hundred he could do legally. He knew he still needed a third pilot on his team, and the thought of dealing with Oikonny again was more of a punishment to himself.

"Stand up you idiot." Panther scrambled to his feet, avoiding eye contact as much as necessary. "You know how much I hate failure Panther. You know this better than most. Yet time after time that you fail, you tend to make up for it. So this time I will not be punishing you too harshly."

Panther gasped and looked up at Wolf.

"You will lose your entire pay from this mission, and you will be forced to guard Saragasso."

Panther nodded and mumbled "I understand." as this was easily the nicest thing Wolf could do to him.

Wolf glared at him for a few more seconds before turning away from the jungle cat. "Have a seat." Wolf continued to walk forward until Panther sat. "As you no doubt saw, we have a new visitor here. As much as it embarrasses me to ask for outside help, I figured we needed it."

Panther looked over to the open door. A snow white vixen walked in, clad head to toe in modified Cornerian civilian armor. She noticed Panther and flashed him a smile and a wink before making her way to Wolf.

"Who is she?" Panther asked, clearly smitten by the new vixen.

"The people who know me best call me Ghost." The vixen replied with a strange accent, giggling as both Panther and Leon's jaw dropped. Wolf chuckled, shaking her hand firmly.

"Ghost is a system wide renowned bounty hunter. She'll be completing your part of the mission Panther. Why don't you say thank you." Panther only stuttered, still trying to envision what was underneath that armor.

"Since you know how good I am, you also know my price." Ghost handed Wolf a contract hologram. "Half before, half when I'm done. Since I'm going to be up against Star Fox there is more risk, therefore more danger pay. You follow me?"

"I don't handle the finances, so whatever you and Oikonny discussed is how much you'll be paid." Wolf crossed his arms, sporting his trademark grin. "It should have been deposited after you landed here."

"Alright." Ghost matched his grin. "So, I'll go in capture this Krystal chick, bring her here then leave with the other half of my pay." With that Ghost turned to leave. "I'll be back in a day. Try not to fuck things up for me in the meantime."

Star Wolf watched in awe as the vixen disappeared behind the doors. For a few minutes there was silence. An automated voice announced Ghost's departure, breaking the silence. Panther cleared his throat. "I think I'm in love."

* * *

><p><strong>SFP – 10:50 AM<strong>

"Listen, I'm here ten minutes early. I was kinda hoping you two who have everything done by now." James said as he put an apron around his waist. "I mean, prep isn't that hard to do."

"Have you opened after Falco closes?" Fox laughed, tossing a few more large doughs into the proofer. "I swear the guy makes the place a wreck on purpose."

James chuckled. "Can't say as that I've had the pleasure." He stopped as Krystal walked past him, a full bowl of diced tomatoes in her hands. "Damn Fox, your girlfriend is fucking fine!"

Fox smirked. "Yes, _my_ girlfriend is fucking fine." He swore he saw Krystal blush before she went out of sight. "Anyway... James is it? We'll have prep done before we open. Just check around up front and see if everything is presentable. When you're done that come back here and help me do some timed orders."

"Gotcha." Jame gave Fox a mock salute before heading out front.

Krystal came out of the walk in fridge, shutting the door behind her. "You know sometimes, I hate this job." Fox laughed, feeling her pain. "I swear, I'll never get this tomato juice off my hands."

"Lots of soap." Fox pointed to the sink in the bathroom. "That one has the better smelling stuff if you ask me. When you're done I'll need you to work up front, I want to see how good James is."

"Putting the other part timer to work eh?" Krystal asked as she ran her hands under the warm water.

She didn't hear his answer, but assumed it was something sarcastic. Once her hands were clean she dried them off and headed out front. She nearly ran into James as he was on his way to help Fox. The black tiger excused himself, his tag wagging slightly from being so close to two of the most famous people on Corneria. Krystal smiled before walking to the front door. For a few minutes all she did was watch the outside world; people driving back and forth, teenagers walking towards either the flight academy or some other school.

"Hey Krys, we're open! Unlock the door!" Krystal snapped out of her daydream, not sure how five minutes passed in the blink of an eye. As she unlocked the door, she noticed a vixen already walking towards the store. She waited until the customer was at the door before she opened it.

"Thank you!" The vixen said with a charming smile. Making her way to the counter, she looked up at menu. "It's my first time here, what do you recommend?" She watched Krystal walk behind the counter, noting how attractive the blue vixen was, even in the standard uniform.

"Well, my favorite is the meats pizza." Krystal said with a cheerful smile. "Pepperoni, salami, bacon, beef, sausage, ham. Covered in a generous layer of cheese."

"You've got that well practiced." The vixen giggled, she looked up at the menu once more then back to Krystal. "You know, you're gorgeous, really. You should be in modelling instead of working here!"

Krystal blushed, not used to receiving complements from another woman. "T-thanks."

"Don't mention it. You've got me sold on the meats pizza, give me a small one please." Krystal nodded and rang up her order. "Keep the change." Krystal thanked her again and walked out back.

The vixen's smile twisted into a dark and delighted grin as she sat down at a nearby table. "Too easy. What a sweet pay day for child's play." She took off her coat, revealing a katana strapped to her back. She acted swiftly and calmly concealing her blade under her coat, not wanting to spoil the surprise.

Fox looked out at the dining room, seeing a lone white vixen with her legs crossed at the knee causally. Her body language was social but something about her was familiar. Something vaguely threatening, it put his fur on end, but it was something he couldn't put his finger on. The way she held herself, even in the comfortable pose, gave him the impression that she was in the military, but she wasn't wearing anything military related. He moved into the office and opened the store laptop. After a few log in screens he was in the military network.

"Search records. Vixen, white. Twenty to twenty-six years old." A few seconds after he spoke files began to open. None of them really showed any promise. He shook his head and walked back out of his office. "James, keep an eye out on Krystal, I've got to make a quick call." Fox quickly walked to the back entrance of SFP, tapping a few keys on his wrist com. "Slip, you there bud?"

Slippy's face appeared before him. "What ya need Fox?"

"I need you to run a search for me. You at a terminal?" Slippy raised an eyebrow at him, as if he was questioning Fox's intelligence. "Right, right. Stupid question."

"Alright, give me the details."

"White vixen, about twenty to twenty-six years old. Give me most dangerous match you get." Fox looked back inside. James was focused on making the advanced orders while Krystal put the other vixen's order in the oven. "I've got about eight minutes Slip."

"Well, you haven't given me a whole lot to go on. I've got like hundreds of hits already. Can you give me any more details?" Fox shook his head. "Anyone else get a look at this vixen?"

"Krys, come here a second." Krystal put the slip up on the rack before making her way to Fox. "That vixen out there, you notice anything that really stood out on her?"

Krystal thought about it for a few seconds. "She's really nice." Krystal offered with a shrug as she continued to recollect. " Oh! Her eyes, she's got really beautiful violet eyes, almost piercing."

"Catch that Slip?" Fox gave Krystal a quick affectionate kiss to her temple before rushing back outside.

"Got it, updating the search now." Minutes passed, before Slippy said anything. Fox was ready to give up and focus on SFP before the toad finally responded. "Got it. Only one match too. I'll email it to you."

"Thanks Slippy, Fox out."

Fox moved quickly to the office and opened his email. He peaked at the oven, watching as Krystal took the pizza out and began to cut it. _'Come on, come on.'_ He pleaded his computer. It didn't take him long to see a name, and when he did he swore.

"Chondra, call-sign Ghost. What is she doing here?" He heard Krystal walk past the office, likely to hand the pizza to Ghost. He didn't have much time to think, but something Panther had said echoed in his mind. "Is she working for Wolf?" He couldn't take the chance of being wrong, he opened up the office safe and grabbed his back up blaster. He tucked it under his belt and walked out of the office.

"Here you go." Krystal smiled at the vixen. "Enjoy!"

"Back away from her Krystal." Fox ordered. The blue vixen turned to her boyfriend, before she could ask a question she felt a blade at her back. Fox growled, his hand on his blaster. "Don't make this harder on yourself Ghost."

Ghost stood up, casting a glance over a Fox. She didn't say anything, but smiled as she bit her bottom lip and winked. _'Now it gets fun.'_ For a while they held their ground, neither one looking away from the other. Both were trained killers, and knew that they only needed a second to turn the would be fight in their favour. Fox knew that Krystal would be dead in the second he needed.

Krystal looked to Fox for help, truly feeling helpless. "I'll give you one chance Ghost, only one. Let her go."

Ghost laughed cruelly and gave him a toothy grin. "Give me a reason Foxie." She moved so she was whispering in Krystal's ear, almost flirting with the pair of them. "Or would you like to lose your girl, to another?"

Fox pulled out his blaster, pointing it directly at the white vixen. "With words or with this?" Ghost swore under her breath, she wasn't expecting that. "You aren't stupid Chondra. A sword against a blaster isn't a fair fight. Let her go, and we wont have to get that bounty on your head switch to dead or alive."

Chondra looked at Krystal then to Fox. She didn't need the Star Fox team chasing her bounty along with countless more bounty hunters, and she very much disliked the idea of being worth something dead. She couldn't compete against Star Fox, not by herself, not for a pay day that no longer seemed as big as it once was. She pushed Krystal forward, away from her sword and then pointing the blade at Fox.

"I'll take your reason Fox McCloud." Fox waited until Krystal was behind the counter before he put down his blaster. "You must know by now who hired me. So I cannot say that this will be my last appearance here." Ghost sheathed her katana with a flourish and threw on her coat. "Things wont be so simple next time, playtime starts now kitties." She grinned excitedly at them before turning.

Krystal hugged Fox as Ghost left. "Thank you..."

James stopped in his tracks as he saw Fox holding a blaster in one hand, his other wrapped around Krystal. "Uh... what I miss?"

All three of them looked up as the door opened. Instantly recognizing Kiko as he came inside. The vulpine offered a weak smile, and looked as though he hadn't slept well. "Hey guys."

"Hey boss-man." James replied, taking the chance to move away from the couple. "We've got a few advanced orders, but me and Fox got 'em done."

"Wicked, good job!" Kiko walked into the office, collapsing into the chair. "What's up with them?" James shrugged. "Whatever, I need to talk to Fox anyway."

As if on cue Fox entered the office with Krystal in tow. "If you want to go home that's ok."

"I'll be alright. I just need a minute." Krystal replied, sitting on the floor. She had fallen for the act so quickly, the kind smile and complements. She was frustrated with herself – she should know better by now.

Plus who uses a sword anymore? That was just messed up.

"Hey Fox, what happened yesterday?" Kiko turned to face Fox. "You two kinda skipped out on work, then you gave Falco and Slippy today off?"

"Kiko, I owe you an explanation and a apology." Fox sighed. "The last few days have been... rough." Fox closed the door behind him. Leaving James to handle the store by himself.

"This is the thanks I get for getting called in?" He asked then shook his head. So much for an easy day working with Star Fox. He sighed heavily and went back to orders. "Good thing I'm awesome."

* * *

><p><strong>So<strong> Oikonny got Wolf to hired Chondra? What exciting pieces of action are we gonna see next?

Chondra is owned by Kazila

James is owned by 800M23

Kiko is owned by Jumanji8

OC's are used with permission.

H-T


	9. Chapter 9

**Annnnnnnd... Go.**

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><p><strong>Saragasso Space Station<strong> – **7:00AM**

"So you mean to tell me that you Ghost, one of the most renowned bounty hunters in the entire galaxy..." Wolf rubbed his eyes with his thumb and forefinger. "Failed at capturing one, just one, vixen."

Ghost sighed. "You don't have to be so dramatic Wolf. McCloud had a blaster, in a restaurant..." She paused for a moment. "Man, that's kinda weird huh?"

"Says the lady carrying around a katana." Leon spat, starring at the snow white vixen. Ghost turned and grinned at the lizard, her sword to his mouth.

"The better to cut out tongues with my dear."

Wolf slammed his fist onto his desk. "You failed a simple mission!" Ghost winked at Leon before turning to face the lupine. "If you were one of my men I would have your hide."

"Then I am thankful that I work alone." Ghost crossed her arms. "I'm willing to try again, but I'd better get more danger pay."

"The nerve of these bounty hunters." Everyone turned to see Oikonny's projection standing in the center of the room. "When I hired you, I was promised results, and they are not here."

"Well think of it this way. No results, then the jobs not done." Ghost grinned, watching rage boil in Oikonny's face. "So, another attempt is another payment. Ya follow?"

"Or how about I get Star Wolf to cash in on that bounty of yours?" Oikonny narrow his eyes at the vixen. "I'm in no mood to play around Ghost. You had your chance, and you blew it. Your pay has been revoked, now get out of my sight."

Ghost growled. "Hold on a fucking second. You agreed to my terms, ape. I suggest you follow through."

Oikonny laughed and waved dismissively at Ghost. "Star Wolf, get rid of this failure. We've got real problems to deal with."

"McCloud is on to us Oikonny, I'd saw we give her another chance." Panther stood up and stretched, beamed a smile at Ghost.

"Panther... just shut up." Wolf grumbled, turning to face Oikonny. "Andrew, if you want to be an idiot and start fucking around with bounty hunters than you go right the fuck ahead. Don't drag my team into it."

Ghost gripped her blade tightly in her hand, within seconds she had sliced through three guards and had the bloodied blade pointed towards Oikonny. "If I don't get credits then I will take my payment in blood."

The room was silent for a few minutes. Everyone looked at the clearly agitated vixen, frozen in fear. "God damn it Andrew..."

"Every story needs a good story teller. Wolf, you and your boys here run this club, so it'll be you." Ghost eyed Oikonny. "Tell them how one miserly old man managed to get his whole payroll slaughtered."

Wolf shrugged. "Alright. Andrew, we'll continue this later."

Chondra watched them leave in her peripherals. She slowly rolled her neck and walked forward towards the bay window that over looked the hanger below. She smirked and slowly drew her sword.

"You crazy bitch! Don't you dare -" Oikonny sputtered at her.

Chondra turned and grinned, a drop of blood fell from her sword. "Oh hunny. You have no idea."

"Raise alarm!" Oikonny shouted and Chondra laughed gleefully before bolting out of the office.

"Let's play kitties." Chondra mumbled as she saw the guards running to her. She stopped quickly and they did the same. The alarm thundered around them. "Who out of you is on the ape's payroll?"

Slowly the one on the far left rose his hand. His hand was quickly swatted away by the guard next to him and Chondra giggled.

"I'm so happy that worked."

Chondra spun her sword and took two quick leaps before landing on top of the unfortunately dimwitted guard, sword through his chest. She winked at him before she ripped the sword out viciously, spraying the guard who had swatted his hand in blood. Chondra kicked the blaster from the blood-drenched man.

"I'll take this." she said softly before quickly firing shots into the heads of the remaining guards. She wrinkled her nose at the weapon when she was done. "You're a vulgar little beast aren't you." More running made Chondra look up from the blaster and shot once more, killing the pair of late comers.

"Maybe we'll get along after all." she giggled before sticking the blaster in her belt and quickly using her sword to cut open the closest vent.

"Where oh where has the pretty vixen gone? Where oh where could she be?" Chondra hummed to herself as she travelled through the vents. Too soon her elbows were sore and her nose filled with dust.

"This was a shit idea."

After a sneeze she popped out the next vent and lowered herself out of the tin tunnel and to the floor. She looked around with a little disappointment. "Where are all my playmates?" Casually swinging her sword and humming she started walking down the corridor. When she heard people coming she stopped humming and swung her sword once more before holding it at the ready.

"There she is!"

"Indeed." Chondra grinned ducking under the first attack and using the moment to switch the grip on her sword. With a vicious upper cut motion she decapitated the guard who attacked first, then before the head could touch the ground she kicked it to the others. Horrified one of the guards dropped his blaster to catch the head. Chondra flicked her wrist and the sword was properly gripped once more, just in time to slice deep into the torso of the frozen man.

"Bitch."

"Don't wear out my name sweetie." Chondra sighed and threw her katana and then drew her new friend blaster. She narrowly dodged a shot and her shoulder smoked a little. She growled and quickly dispatched the remaining guards before strutting over and removing her sword from the now corpse of a guard. "Now I'm mad."

She ran the rest of the way to the hanger where her shipped was. She prayed to some forgotten god that her ship was still intact. She hoped that the rest of the guards were out looking for her and that the hanger was empty, but in case it wasn't she stealthed her way in, hiding behind the large cargo containers that littered the back entrance to the dock. Carefully she peaked around the side before moving forward. She saw an entire division between her and her ship.

"Damn." she cursed softly looking down at her blaster. "Don't have any good friends around do you by chance?" The gun was silent. Chondra groaned. "Figured. Right, need boom."

Chondra turned to the crate next to her and looked at it's content label. Wrinkling her nose at the nonexplosive nature of it she sneaked over to the next one, repeating that process until she found what she was looking for. Grenades. She wiped her sword clean and sheathed it before taking three of the bombs into each hand and walking over to the division.

"Who did they say got on-board again?" one muscled toad asked the rabbit to his left.

"I dunno, I heard it was some hot bounty hunter chick." the rabbit replied.

"Really? Well I heard it was a ghost." Chondra grinned and shoved a armed grenade into the toad's mouth. "Hold that for me."

"She's here!" the rabbit cried out fumbling for his gun.

"Of course I am." Chondra giggled kicking the toad over and holding up the grenades. "This is where the party is, isn't it? I brought favours!"

She tossed all the grenades up into the air and quickly turned to jump up onto one of the closer cargo containers and from there jumping onto the closest ship. The toad exploded, showering everyone near him in guts, blood and shrapnel. Chondra grinned and took out her borrowed blaster and shot at the rest of the grenades she had scattered. Like some strange game of whack a mole groups were hurled into the air, just to be shot down by Chondra and her blaster. When the blaster ran out of charge she tossed it at some of the more agile guards who had finally caught up to her. She laughed, thoroughly enjoying the game she had got them to play with her and started to race down the ships. Getting closer and closer to her own.

"You are a quick one." Chondra said when heard the breathing of the wolf chasing her. She turned and knelt in the same motion, the wolf's own momentum impaling him on her sword. She tsked before she slid the blade out of his stomach. Before she could make another quirky comment she was forced to fall and roll off the ships as the pursuing guards remembered their blasters and shot at her. She dropped her sword on impact and a guard was quick to kick it out of her reach.

"Now that was not very nice." Chondra scolded him as she pulled herself to her feet.

"You've killed dozens – hundreds of my friends!" he spat.

"I didn't say I was nice." Chondra laughed slowly walking sideways. "Just that you weren't being nice. Who needs hundreds of friends anyway? I've done you a favour."

"Monster." another guard spat.

"Ghost actually." Chondra giggled before quickly side stepping and kicking herself over top the closest guard, grabbing his neck and snapping it before landing on top of his corpse near her sword. Just as she reached for it someone fired at her and she growled. "Enough!" Quickly she pulled the blaster from the dead man she was kneeling on and shooting another guard to her for his blaster, she opened fire on the circle around her. In the confusion her sword lay forgotten until she rolled near it.

"Hello pretty thing. What's a girl like you doing in a place like this." She said gleefully before tossing away her right blaster and picking it up. She shot the second last guard and then tossed her blaster away, holding her sword to the throat of the last man standing, a trembling bird with blood splattered white feathers. Chondra felt strangely connected to the guard, maybe it was the similar colouration.

"There is a tradition, where samurai warriors would throw themselves upon their swords rather than risk being dishonoured by an enemy. "Seppuku" – usually this is only for the honourable samurai, but for one who has seen much death like you now – who has seen so much death. Would you like to die honourably?"

"I would." The bird said tossing away his blaster.

"Take my sword." Chondra said handing over her blade with a purposeful grace. The bird took the sword in both hands, swinging it so the point pressed against his belly button. "Cut, left to right. Do not hesitate, honour yourself."

The bird looked Chondra straight in the eyes as he plunged the sword into his stomach and though he cried out and choked a little he did not look away. Chondra waited for him to fall before taking her sword back and wiping it clean on his uniform.

"Strange, the places you find honourable souls." she said with a pleased grin. She started humming again as she walked to her ship and prepared it for take off. She used her ship's blaster to open the bay doors for her and she sighed contently as soon as she was able to switch to autopilot. She dialled a tragically familiar number on her communicator and waited for them to pick up.

"Ghost-bitch."

"Hey asshole. Spread the word the rumour's are true– the ape doesn't pay out. Ghost has taken her payment in blood."

"Sounds messy."

"You know I can't refuse a good party." Chondra gave her reflection a toothy grin.

* * *

><p><strong>Outside SFP – 8:55 AM<strong>

"So... why don't we have delivery at SFP?" Kiko ask a projection of Fox as he walked towards SFP. "I mean, the market around here has to be amazing!"

"People freak out enough about Star Fox making their pizzas. How do you think they would react to like Falco, or even me showing up at their door." Fox laughed and shook his head. "Besides, I designed it to be a sit in restaurant."

"Ok, ok. I leave you alone on that." Kiko cleared his throat. "My offer from last night still stands."

"We have it handled." Fox replied sternly.

"Come on Fox. I'm as trained as your team, if not more. I just want to help... I told how much this job isnt suited for me."

" I appreciate the offer and I understand that you don't wish to work at SFP for longer than necessary. But we have it handled already. Listen, Krystal and I will be there in five minutes, we'll continue this then. Fox out." Fox face disappeared, giving Kiko a full view of SFP. He was about to unlock the front door when a car pulled in behind him. With a heavy sigh Kiko waited for the car to park.

As the driver parked he rolled down his window and motioned for Kiko to come towards him. "McCloud here yet?"

"Nope." Kiko replied as he folded his arms across his chest. "This place doesn't open for another hour."

"Is Mrs. McCloud here then?" The driver asked, seemingly unfazed by Kiko's news.

"Mrs. McCloud? You mean Krystal? They aren't married. Come to think of it, they haven't really been going out that long either..." Kiko thought about it for a second before shrugging. "Still just me here by the way."

"Not married yet... ok, whatever. I have a message for them, how long till they get here."

"Why do you ask?" Kiko eyed the driver suspiciously. The mixer of the dark car interior and the glare of Solar made it difficult to see who was occupying the car. He could only really make out an outline of the driver, but he could tell by his voice he was male, and his figure suggested he was some sort of Canine type animal.

"I'm a..." The male paused for a moment. "A friend of theirs. I owed them a favour, and I've kinda got like... an hour before I need to go."

Kiko stared down the figure for a few more minutes, before deciding that Fox and Krystal could handle themselves should this guy try and attack them. "They'll be here in five." With that Kiko went inside SFP, locking the door behind him.

Sure to his word, five minutes later Fox and Krystal showed up on his bike. They both took off there helmets before noting the car sitting in front of the store. Like he had with Kiko the driver waved them over.

"We don't open for another two hours bud." Fox said as he rested his hand on the car door.

"I know that. Pizza places open at eleven." The driver shook his head. "Listen, I've got to leave soon. But I had let you know something."

"Have I seen you before?" Krystal asked, causing Fox to look at her questioningly. "I know I have..."

"It's likely." The driver replied. "Now listen. Fox, war is coming to Corneria once again, and you'll have to deal with some... interesting allies."

"What?" Fox asked. The driver simply smiled and rolled up his window and drove his car out of the parking lot and onto the road. Leaving two confused vulpine in his wake.

"War is coming..." Krystal sighed. "I couldn't really sense his thoughts, but I didn't get any deceit from him either... But where have I seen him before?"

"Krys, the last person you recognized when I was around was Andross... I hope we didn't just get another enemy." Fox chuckled leading her towards SFP.

"Wait a second... I saw him on Cerinia!"

* * *

><p><strong>Many thanks to ~Kazila for helping me out with this chapter. She knows what she did. <strong>

**H-T**


	10. Chapter 10

**Chapter 10! Enjoy!**

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><p><strong>SFP – 10:00AM<strong>

"What?" Was all Fox could say. How was it possible that someone else on Cerinia had survived Andross's attack that destroyed the planet? "Are you sure?"

Krystal looked towards the last place she had saw the car. "Positive. I could never forget him. He's the same guy that got me off Cerinia before it exploded." She felt Fox wrap his arms around her own, knowing how emotional a subject her home was. The memory had been bits and pieces until now. Suddenly it came rushing back, the missing links connected quicker than she could blink, and she swore she could smell the forest just outside her village.

* * *

><p><strong>Cerinia – 2 Years ago<strong>

Krystal sat alone in a meadow close to her village. She was trying to meditate but something had been troubling her. For a long while now she couldn't shake the feeling that something horrific was about to happen on Cerinia. Some in her village agreed with her, while her elders played it off as her mind simply not being as attuned to the world as theirs. So she often found herself outside of her village, listening to the sounds of nature as she struggled to get rid of that feeling looming in the back of her mind.

She would normally stay out of the village for hours on end, not that it bothered her, or her family. She always stayed within sensing distance of her mother or father. Not that they had much time to keep track of her, what with countless trips to other villages, and temples. Such was the way of royalty however, they needed to be present as every single rite of passage, every council decision, anything and everything it seemed. Although Krystal was happy to be of royal blood, she dreaded the time she would have to give up her freedom to it.

Suddenly she felt another presence near her, one she had not felt before. In an instant she stood and faced the intruder. A few feet away stood a vulpine with strangely colour fur, beside him was a machine that could only be described as a giant metal bird. Krystal looked from it to the vulpine, settling into a defensive fighting stance. "Who are you?"

The vulpine looked over at Krystal, and sighed. "No... not this again." He pulled a translator out of his pocket and place it in his ear before he took a step forward, causing Krystal to raise her staff.

"One more step and I will turn your hide into ashes. Now I will ask you again, who are you?" Krystal began charging a fireball to enforce her point. She looked him dead in the eye and tried to sense his thoughts.

"Stay out of my head." The vulpine growled. "Your name is Krystal, Princess of Cerinia. For a while now you have felt something happening to the planet. I am here to make sure you survive."

After a few more attempts at reading the mysterious vulpine's mind she gave up. "You have a strong mental barrier, and you know about me, but you have yet to answer my question."

The vulpine nodded. "Nor will I. If you truly want to know, then all you have to do is wait. The computer in my ship will tell you who I am."

Krystal lowered her staff, the charge dissipating instantly before she rested one end on the ground. "Fine. If you know what I have been sense than you must know how few believe me."

"No. Your voice isn't as weak as you think. Your elders must have felt it by now, and are playing it off as something that is within their control. Because when the villagers find out how correct you are it'll be too late." The vulpine looked down at a weird device on his wrist, his eyes widening as he noticed the time. "Look Krystal, I don't expect you to believe or ever listen to me. But you must get off this planet. You must survive, your future is too important to be lost here."

"What do you mean?" Krystal could feel the sorrow emanating from the vulpine. "I can't just leave, I have nothing to help me survive in space. Why do I have to go? My parents will forbid it!"

"I have brought a great evil here. He has been tracking me since he killed her... Your parents are leaving soon to determine his fate." The vulpine choked back a few tears. "I can stay here for a while longer, but you must get off planet. If you're here when he gets here... the legacy of Cerinia will be lost." Krystal stood rooted in her spot, trying to understand his words. "Krystal, there is no time to waste. Run back to your village, tell them to get everyone to safety now! GO!" He watched as Krystal ran towards her village and bowed his head. "You will be the only one to survive this... and it's all my fault." He looked back up and sighed. "But it was the only way to save both of you."

Krystal couldn't understand why she trusted the vulpine, but she knew he was telling the truth. She called to everyone telling them to seek shelter, or ready their arms. Most ignored the young princess, as she raced to her home. "Mother! Father! We must leave! A terrible evil has arrived on Cerinia!"

An attendant was quickly at Krystal's side. "I'm sorry Princess, but the King and Queen have left to attend an emergency meeting in the council chambers."

Krystal felt tears in her eyes. "He was right..."

"Princess?" The attendant asked before Krystal took off again, heading back to that vulpine.

_'Mother, Father. I'm sorry but I must leave, I know it is without your blessing, for that I cannot ask for forgiveness. I must see where this leads me. I will be back.' _Krystal reached the meadow, but only saw the ship waiting for her. She could sense a residual energy lingering around, but she could no longer sense the vulpine's presence anywhere. As she neared the ship the hanger door opened, causing her to jump back and pull out her staff. After a few moments she lowered her guard and walked inside of the ship. There wasn't much to it, enough room for a small shipment of supplies, sleeping quarters, a short walk and she was at the cockpit. As the door behind her shut she heard that vulpine's voice once more.

"Krystal, if you are hearing this than I am already gone. Don't worry about me, it's better that you travel alone. I am sorry for forcing you away from your loved ones, for that is no easy burden on anyone." There was a brief pause before he continued. "The ship will fly itself to Corneria. It's the capital of Lylat, you will find your destiny there. In the bedroom you will find a suitcase. It was as much as I could fit it. You will want to buy some new cloths, because Corneria will be rough on you if you keep your royal attire. Good luck Krystal, you'll thank me when we see each other again."

Before Krystal could sit down the ship began to power up. "Auto pilot engaged, course set. Destination Corneria. Approximate arrival time is five days, three hours, forty three minutes. Welcome aboard call-sign Hopeless, please enjoy your flight." The computerized voice caused the vixen to latch onto the pilots seat. Once she calmed herself down enough, Krystal whispered the vulpine's call-sign, before leaving to check the bedroom. As she sat down on the bed, the ship took off causing the suitcase and her to roll off the bed. She yelped as she hit the floor. "Gravity regulated."

"Hardly a way for a princess to travel." Krystal grumbled. She grabbed the suitcase and placed it on the bed. It took her a few minutes to get the latches open, but once she opened it she saw a folded piece of paper and multiple other items she couldn't identify. Krystal grabbed the paper. "Read me." Krystal unfolded the paper. "So... this is where fate is taking me... Corneria." She smiled and stretched, ready for a new adventure.

* * *

><p><strong>SFP- 10:10AM<strong>

"Krys?" Fox asked gently moving her shoulder. "Hey Krys, you're starting to freak me out a little bit," Krystal shook her head and blinked a few times before she look up at Fox. "I thought you were lost in that memory forever."

"Hopeless... his name is Hopeless. He's the one who got me off Cerinia, he saved my life." Krystal smiled. "I never did thank him."

"I'm sure you'll get the chance." Fox said after a few moments. "I'm just glad we don't have another enemy to deal with. C'mon, lets get this place ready for opening."

"Hey Fox, Krystal!"

"We certainly are getting lots of visitors today..." Fox sighed in annoyance. Before turning around to see Kara, and who he assumed to be her boyfriend walking towards them. "Kara?"

"Kara!" Krystal walked up to the rabbit and gave her a firm hug. "Oh my gosh you're getting huge!" She back up and looked at her very much pregnant belly. "How far along?"

"Six months." Kara beamed."Oh, where are my manners. This is Bryal Sol, my boyfriend and the father." She pulled Bryan forward a bit, putting him on the spot. Bryan was a vulpine with green fur and multi-colored eyes, green and purple. He stood about Fox's height with a lean build.

"Hi." He said before retreating behind Kara.

"You'll have to forgive him, he's a bit shy at first. But he's amazing once you get to know him." Kara giggled.

"Well, you can't blame him for being star struck." Krystal smiled warmly at Bryan. "I'm Krystal, and this is Fox McCloud."

"I... I know who you two are. Kara has told me all about you." Bryan attempted a smile but only got a smirk.

"Nice to meet you Bryan. Fox extended his hand with Bryan readily took, shaking it firmly. "So you're Kara's boyfriend eh? She never really talked about her personal life at work. She's quite professional like that."

"Let's go inside, before people think this is a meet and greet!" Kara laughed. Fox nodded and led the small group inside SFP. "It's been a while since I've been here. How are things?"

"It's been pretty hit or miss." Fox replied as they all sat down. "But we're surviving."

"Well that's good. If Bryan would let me, I'd still manage this place from home, but he insists that I relax."

"I encourage that you relax dear. "Bryan wrapped and arm around her. "But you seem to be out and about whenever you get the chance."

"Can't blame her. She was used to running a restaurant to suddenly forced to take it easy... I'd go nuts too." Krystal giggled. "So, have you decided on any names?"

Kara shook her head. "I didn't want to get an ultrasound, so we're waiting until the little guy or girl is here to choose a name."

"I think I would want to know what sex it is, at least then we could get everything ready." Fox said, causing Krystal to look over at him with a smile. They hadn't really talked about anything like that yet, but he knew that it was going to come up eventually.

"To be honest, I don't mind if it's a boy or a girl. I just glad that we can start a family." Bryan grabbed one of Kara's hands and squeezed it. Fox and Krystal could see the love between them, and it warmed their hearts. "If it is a boy though, I kinda like Joey Cloudy." Kara squeezed his hand and nodded.

"So what do you do for a living Bryan?" Fox asked.

"Oh, I.. uh.. work at a provisions shop in downtown Corneria. We've got some good contracts so the pay is decent enough for us to live comfortably." Bryan replied, there was just a hint of worry in his voice, but it was more than enough for Krystal to sense.

"Sounds like you could use a few more contracts." Krystal bumped Fox's arm a bit. "Some of those expire soon huh?"

Bryan looked at Krystal with confusion. "How the..."

Fox laughed. "She's telepathic, don't worry we all forget that. Some, meaning me, more than others." Bryan shook his head in amazement. "So, a provisions shop huh? What type of military equipment do you hold?"

Bryan rubbed his chin for a few seconds. "Honestly I can't think of anything we don't carry. Some military officials have bought a few things, I try to give them the best deal I can, but I don't own the place..."

"Ok." Fox tapped a few keys on his wrist comm. "Hey Slip, when you get this check out the provisions shop at..." He looked up at Bryan expectantly.

"Just down the street from the mall." Bryan replied in a mild shock.

"Just down from the Cornerian Mall. See if we can get a Star Fox, or military contract going. Fox out."

"Fox..." Kara giggled. "I think you broke him." Sure enough Bryan was sitting there mouth agape, still in shock at what had just happened. "I'll thank you on his behalf."

"Guys! I don't want to... Oh hey Kara!" Kiko quickly walked out to the table. "Bryan, I haven't seen you in a while."

"Hey Kiko, how have you been?" Kara smiled at the white vulpine as he grabbed a chair and sat down with them.

"I'm good, keeping busy doing your job." Kiko laughed. "Listen I hate to be an asshole but we've got work to do."

"Yeah, yeah." Krystal grumbled she stood up and gave Kara another hug. "Let us know if there is anything else we can do to help!" She patted Bryan on the back, causing him to finally come back to reality. "Later Bryan."

The rest of them stood up. Bryan grabbed one of Fox's hands in his own. "Thank you so much . It means a lot to me."

"Please call me Fox. And it's no problem, glad to be of assistance." Fox grinned. "Kara, it was nice seeing you again. As soon as you are able you have a job here."

"Well be back for visits more often." Kara waved as she left with Bryan.

"Bye guys!" Kiko said as the door shut behind them. "So... lets go see what kind of trouble we can stir up today."

"Are you kidding, the day is just starting and I feel like it's time to go home." Fox laughed as they walked behind the counter, and began to get the store ready for another day of business.

* * *

><p><strong>Yay back story! More updates coming soon as I can get them up!<strong>

**H-T**

**Bryan is owned by bryan mcCloud**

**Kiko is owned by Jumanji8**

**Kara is owned by Hopeless-Tyronos**

**All OC's used with permission.**


	11. Chapter 11

**Chapter 11! THIS IS NOT A JOKE!**

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><p><strong>McCloud Residence – 9:00AM<strong>

Fox knocked briskly on Krystal's door. "Krystal? I was about to go for a run, did you want to tag along?" After a brief silence, Fox knocked again. "Krystal?" He checked his watch, it was just barely after nine in the morning, surely Krystal was awake by now. He pressed his hand against the scanner, openning the door. "Krys?" He saw her sitting cross legged in the middle of her room, her eyes were closed and she was breathing slowly. He remembered that she meditated once a week and nearly smacked himself on the head. He turned to leave, not wanting to interrupt her concentration.

"Don't go." In an instant Fox poked his head back into her room.

"I hope I didn't disturb you."

Krystal didn't move but continued to speak. "Your presence is soothing." She opened her eyes and looked over at Fox with a smile. "I would love to come with you by the way. But don't I open today?"

Fox smiled and walked over to her, kneeling to be at eye level. "Today SFP is closed. It's a military holiday in honour of those who severed during the Lylat war."

Krystal giggled. "And you didn't opt to sleep in?"

"I'm just used to being up at this time. Besides I did sleep in for a half hour at least!" Fox stood up. "I'll grab us some water." Fox helped Krystal to her feet before giving her a quick kiss and leaving her room.

As he reached the landing he stopped. He had forgotten to check the weather before asking Krystal to come with him on his run. Not wanting to waste time, he opened the front door and looked outside. The site of the overhanging clouds caused him to curse under his breath. It looked like it could start raining at any second. "Good thing we have a few exercise bikes kicking around. I hope they still work." Just as he was beginning to close the door he saw a car park beside his SUV. He chanced a step outside to get a better look at the car. "Peppy?"

The long white ears gave him away as he got out of his car. "Top of the morning to you Fox. I figured the team should be together today, so I made arrangements to be here."

Fox laughed. "They would have to drag you to work today huh?" As Peppy walked passed him Fox patted him softly on the back and shut the door behind him. "Not too much on the agenda for today Pep."

"I've got something I'd quite like the team to see." Peppy smirked. "I'll wait until everyone is present, I'll be in the common room until then."

Fox gave Peppy a quizzical look as he walked away. "Hey Fox. What's up I thought you were grabbing water for us." Fox turned to see Krystal dressed for a run. Before he could speak she had read his thoughts and gasped. "Peppy's here? We're doing something as a team?"

Fox felt Krystal hug him and returned it. "It's more than likely Star Fox related. But Peppy wouldn't go into detail. Did you still want to go for a run? Or did you want to, for lack of a better term, rain check that?"

"We shouldn't you know, but since today is a holiday I think we can make an exception. Besides I want to know what Peppy has planned." Krystal grabbed Fox's hand and began to lead him to the common room. "From what I can sense Falco and Slippy are awake, just haven't left their rooms yet."

"Once they know Peppy is here they'll come running. Speaking of which." Fox pressed a few buttons on his wrist comm. "Slip, Falco this is Fox. Peppy's here for a team meeting, report to the common room asap."

* * *

><p><strong>Saragasso Space Station – 9:45 AM<strong>

Wolf drummed his fingers against the metal top to his desk. A few of his men stood at attention beside the only door to his office. Today was supposed to be the day that Andross took over Lylat and left the planets and sectors he promised to Star Wolf. But like most of that mad scientist's family, things didn't go to plan.

Did that stop Wolf from actually giving his men a day off? No. Today should have been the day he fought against Fox once more to prove that he was the better leader, and the better pilot. But with two huge failures under his command, Wolf wasn't feeling like fighting that much. Instead he sat at his desk, counting down the seconds until Oikonny contacted him again. He needed to see the ape, just to remind himself that at least he wasn't him.

"Wolf this is Andrew. Come in."

Wolf looked up at the hologram of Oikonny and grinned. "Ah good, someone in that's in a worse mood than I am."

"I'll ignore that comment." Oikonny said before clearing his throat. "Today marks the ninth anniversary of the Lylat Wars. It was on this day that my uncle, the Great Emperor Andross, was struck down by Fox McCloud."

"Yes, and let's no forget what he did a few months ago. Fox and his team killed him again. Is he dead for good this time or what?" Wolf chuckled, causing Oikonny to burn with rage.

"He employed your sorry hide when you had nothing but a name Wolf. Do you remember when saying O'Donnell didn't even scare a child? Or speaking about Star Wolf only got you laughed at? I can make that happen again Wolf, don't test me."

"Watch yourself ape." Wolf spat. "I am in no mood for your bullshit."

Oikonny growled. "Maybe I should make a pit stop there before I head to Corneria to deal with Fox McCloud! Would you want that?"

Wolf pulled a blaster out of his desk and pointed it at Oikonny. It happened quicker than the monkey could blink. "You would have been dead right then and there had you been here. Would you want that?"

Oikonny stumbled over his words, causing Wolf to smirk. "You still have your role to play in all this O'Donnell. I will take into account that you served my uncle twice and give you another chance."

"Forget it. Fox is onto us. That bounty hunter of yours has only put him on edge even more. I know a leader thinks Oikonny, and I'm telling you that if you push this all of Corneria will be after you." Wolf knew by the look in the ape's face that it didn't change his mind, but allowed him to speak.

"We match Corneria one to one in military force. With Star Wolf we're an unstoppable force!" Oikonny cackled gleefully.

"Without us you're nothing." Wolf rested his hands on the desk. "You've been ignoring our scouts reports as normal. Corneria is being tipped off that you're mounting an attack. They've got the best minds in the system working on upgrades you wont discover until it's launched at the hull of your ship. And I've got the specs of your fleet versus their fleet and you are not going to survive. Without Star Wolf you literally are flying to your death. With Star Fox against you, what hope do you have?"

Oikonny scoffed. "We've been through some tough times together Wolf. But I never thought I'd see the day you admitted defeat before you've entered the battle ground."

"You always were a fool Andrew, I just didn't know you had a death wish. Send whatever message you want with your little plan. Star Wolf will no longer have any part in it." Wolf cut the link before Oikonny could speak. "You." He pointed at the nearest thug.

"Sir!"

"Tell Panther and Leon that we are no longer in contract with Oikonny. And you." Wolf pointed at the second thug. "Go do something useful. I couldn't honestly give a hell about what it is that you do."

"Yes sir!"

As they left Wolf began drumming his fingers against his desk once again.

* * *

><p><strong>McCloud Residence – 10:00AM<strong>

"And that about brings you guys up to speed on current military events. As always Falco and Fox are invited to be instructors at base. Slippy, well you do everything anyway so that's nothing new." Peppy chuckled before glancing over at Krystal. "Our newest member has yet to prove herself, but I know she will soon. Which brings me to why I'm here in the first place."

"This had better be good." Falco yawned. "Cause this isn't worth being woken up early yet."

"Well Falco, I'm sure what I'm about to say will change your mind. General Pepper has told me he want some friendly competition within his squadrons to encourage constant improvement. Much like you and Fox do already. So, I thought why not do something similar, but with everyone involved. Krystal, this is a chance to show us how far you've come along." Peppy stood. "If you'll follow me to the simulator room." Everyone else stood up and followed Peppy out of the room. "Now, General Pepper has given the Star Fox team a specifically designed test track. This track brings in a new style of what you guys have been running. For example, in your current track, if you hit a teammate's ship you will do no damage to them. But in this track, you hit them enough and game over for them. This will help sharpen your reflexes, among other things. Collision has also been turn on, so if your left wing is hit by another ship, or blasted off your controls will react. You will have to compensate for this until you find a way to fix your ship."

"No sweat, just like old times." Falco grinned. "So why have this game when we all know who is going to win."

"I'm not finished Falco." Peppy chuckled. "Scores are based off of how many ships you can hit versus last known skill level. Since yours is quite high Falco your test will be harder. This test is mainly used for self improvement, and will be available to the team until we see fit to remove it from the simulators memory."

"I remember working out the code for this test." Slippy said. "I think it has an active difficulty installed in case it's too hard or too easy. It'll still test our limits, but it's a fun test!"

Krystal sighed. Hearing that put her mind at ease a bit. She had seen what Fox and Falco tested for fun and she was certain they were insane for trying it. "So how is this a competition between us?"

"In the spirit of competition, the team member who posts the highest improvement score will win. As for what the prize is... how about winner chooses. Just be reasonable."

"How about this, winner gets to have the other three teammates do something for them." Falco folded his arms across his chest. "Seeing as how I'm going to win away, I'll starting working on the list now."

"Everyone agree?" Peppy looked around. A unanimous yes came from everyone. "Good. Remember this is meant as a self improvement track. You'll have five attempts to post the best score. I'll keep track of the results as they come up."

Fox squeezed Krystal's hand before moving towards the simulator with his name over it. Falco and Slippy had already turned on their machines and were loading the new track. Krystal sat down in her sim, buckling up before turning it on. "Hey Krystal." She looked over to see Peppy standing beside the machine. "I'm sorry to have put you on the spot downstairs. But I needed to make it sound like this test was mainly for you. It's actually going to be a lot harder for them to post and improvement over yours since you have a lower score than them right now. However you've improved so much over these months, one of the fastest learners I've seen in a while. You almost learned quicker than Fox could teach you."

Krystal blushed slightly. "Thanks Peppy. That means a lot coming from you."

"I mean it Krystal. Have fun today, but try and keep in mind what these three guys could do for you." Peppy winked at her before moving back to the center console. "Alright, everyone is ready. Remember the best improvement to your personal score will win. Good luck."

**-2 hours later-**

"Falco... Give it up. You aren't going to beat her score." Fox stood beside the avian's machine. Watching as he teared through countless waves of enemies. "I'm serious man, she's still got like two hundred more hits than you."

"I got this." Falco waved Fox off just before his simulated Arwing took another hit and began to loose power. "How the hell did he hit my fucking power supply? No one is that precise."

"It's a program Falco." Slippy laughed. "A computer can make any shot at anytime. You're just at that level of skill I guess."

Falco fought against the controls until his screen went dark. He looked up at his final score, which was still a bit of from Krystal's posted improvement. "But how? We've been training her for months and she's improved that much? She's crazy!"

"Let's look at who's training her. We're the best pilots in the galaxy, and she's an amazingly quick study." Fox smiled at Krystal. "Still, that improvement is out of this world."

Slippy shrugged. "For how long she's been flying and the outcome of her test, it's just unthinkable. You must have had some hidden talent for this sort of thing or something. I'm just glad you're on our side."

Krystal looked over at Peppy and smiled before looking back at her other teammates. "So what shall I have you guys do?" She folded her arms across her chest, looking at each of them in turn. "Slippy, I don't think it would be too much to ask for you to make a compartment on my flight suit for my staff."

"I'll get to work on it as soon as we're done here." Slippy grinned. "And here I thought you'd get me to do something girly."

Krystal giggled. "I'd never do something like that. Now, Falco. I want you to cook all of us dinner tonight. Home cooked, take out, store bought whatever." Falco groaned and nodded, muttering something about the contest being stupid. "Now Fox. My dear Fox. What shall I do with you?" Fox smiled, knowing that whatever she asked of him he'd do it without a second thought. "Whatever I ask huh?" Fox normally would have blushed at a comment like that, but with Krystal he didn't, his smile only widened. "You'll have to come give my feet a massage later tonight."

"Oh great, I'm sure both of you will enjoy that." Falco mused. "Jeez, Fox might have well won too."

Peppy gathered up the results and joined the group. "I'll forward these results to General Pepper so he can sign off on them. You all have made improvements, and I know you will continue to do so. Like I said this course is installed into your simulators and can be loaded at anytime."

"You're staying for supper right? Krystal asked, causing the other Star Fox members to look at Peppy.

"There is no place I'd rather be, than with my team." Peppy nodded. "I'll be gone for an hour while I get these to Pepper." Peppy looked up at Fox with a concerned expression on his face. "Should be back soon after that."

Fox nodded. "We'll see you then." Peppy gave them a wave before leaving the room. The rest of the team followed suit, making their way to their respective rooms.

Slippy went to start working on his part of Krystal's prize. While Falco got ready to run into town to pick something out for supper. Krystal decided to take advantage of a day off and went back to meditating. Fox sat at his desk, checking his laptop. There was something about the way Peppy looked at him that made an ominous feeling run down his spine. He didn't want to show it in front of Krystal. She didn't need to know of the war basically beating on their doorstep. Panther had told them that Oikonny had intentions of attacking, but what the rest of the team minus Peppy and himself didn't know was that Oikonny would be attacking soon. And if he could protect her from that truth for a while longer than he would.

_'She's a Cerinian princess. She's likely seen her fair share of combat. But is she ready for a real dogfight?'_ Fox sighed and shook his head. '_This kind of thinking is what Peppy warned me about. She'd be dead before I'd have a chance to ask.'_ He had to think positively._ 'She's a great pilot, and she's getting better. I shouldn't worry too much about her.' _He heard a knock at his door. "Come in." He turned to see Krystal walking into his room. "Hey beautiful."

"I sensed your thoughts Fox. You shouldn't worry about me. We've discussed what could happen already. I understand that you worry, and you always will. But I've had the best teachers." She moved to sit on her bed, patting a spot beside her. Fox quickly moved to the spot, wrapping his arms around her as she leaned into him.

"I know, I know. I just can't help myself. I got you into this, if anything happened..."

"Shhhh." Krystal put a finger to his lips before capturing them with her own. "You are protective Fox, it's in your nature. If anything does happen I know you'll be there to save the day. I love you Fox."

Fox squeezed her a bit tighter. "I love you too Krys."

The rest of the night had gone quite well. Falco managed to not burn the house down, Slippy had the beginnings of his part of Krystal's prize starting to take shape. Even Peppy had gone out of his way to get something for Krystal. He told her it was in the Great Fox waiting for her. Fox turned out to be quite the masseuse.

Today was a good day for Star Fox, and they all agreed that a day off was needed. Just before Peppy left they had a minute of silence for the soldiers that had fallen defending Lylat and her people.

"We will remember them." Peppy said.

"We will remember them."

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><p><strong>Back from hiatus. It's been too long.<strong>

**H-T  
><strong>


	12. Chapter 12

**Alright, here we go again! The reward for your patience! Chapter 12 of SFP: The Future. Enjoy!**

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><p><strong>McCloud Residence – 7:30 AM<strong>

That feeling of panic entered Fox's mind as he woke up. The remnants of his dream still lingered, and tormented him as he attempted to recall every detail. Despite having a relaxing day he felt like something bad was going to happen. He sat up and cradled his face in his hands.

_'Never give up, trust your instincts.' _The words of his father echoed in his mind.

"Trust my instincts." Fox shook his head and sighed. He pulled the blankets off himself and sat at the edge of his bed. "I wish my instincts weren't making me feel this way."

He looked over at the sleeping vixen, hoping her presence would calm him. Fox stood up and grabbed a pair of shorts and a t-shirt, quickly slipping them on before making his way to the kitchen. He didn't want his thoughts interrupting Krystal's sleep.

What thoughts he did have were jumbled, the ever-present foreboding feeling of something bad in the back of his mind. The hallways in his father's house seemed darker and longer than he remembered. He noticed the light already on in the kitchen and shook his head roughly, putting on the illusion of being normal as best he could.

The smell of freshly made coffee was always a welcome scent on Fox's nose. He yawned and stretched as he made his way almost automatically to the cupboard. "Wonder who made this." The vulpine thought out loud as he poured himself a cup.

"Mornin' Foxie." Falco said as he shoved Fox out of the way to get his own cup of coffee. Fox groaned and moved to sit at the table. "Why so glum? Didn't have a happy ending with your late night visitor?"

"Oh ha ha friggin' ha." Fox shook his head. "It wasn't that at all. I just woke up with a bad feeling this morning."

Falco took a seat across from Fox. "Oh yeah? How so?"

Fox swirled the coffee in his mug before taking a drink. "I just feel like something is going to happen today. I can't explain it."

Falco nodded, folding his hand behind his head. "And this will be... where? When? If at all."

Fox shrugged. "I'm not sure. I just can't shake this feeling though." He drank down his coffee and stood up. "Gotta meet up with Kiko before we open. I'll see you later." Falco gave him a mock salute as Fox left the kitchen. He walked to his room, grabbing his sweater and keys. He stopped for a moment to look at the cerulean beauty sleeping in his bed. He moved closer to her, running a hand through her hair before kissing her forehead.

Krystal's eyes slowly opened, she smiled as she saw Fox sitting close to her. "Morning."

"Morning beautiful." Fox replied, giving her a quick kiss. "Just wanted to wake you up before I headed to SFP. I think you should review our match from yesterday. Look for mistakes and see if you can't beat your scores."

"Didn't I beat you three already?" Krystal giggled sitting up in the bed.

"I guess you did." He chuckled. "Still, just because you won yesterday doesn't mean you'll always win." He winked at her and stood up. "See you this afternoon." As he turned to leave Krystal grabbed his hand and pulled him back into a long kiss. Fox wrapped his arms around her, sighing into the kiss.

As they parted Krystal completed their embrace. "Have fun at work."

"Ugh, don't remind me." Fox laughed and pulled back. "Love you." Krystal smiled and sat back in bed, watching Fox leave. She couldn't help but sense his thoughts, the feeling he felt still lingered in his mind. She pulled the blankets closer and breathed in Fox's scent. All she could do was hope whatever he felt were simply his nerves getting the better of him. They did have a war to prepare for after all.

* * *

><p><strong>SFP – 8:00 AM<strong>

"Hey, sorry I'm a little late Fox." Kiko said as he walked up to the vulpine. "Late night with the boys at HQ."

Fox forced himself to smile. "No worries. So, want to start outside? I want to enjoy as much of Solar as I can before the good people of Corneria being to order." Kiko nodded, leaning up against Fox's SUV. "So, first things first. I'm sure you've heard the rumors by now. Oikonny has all but launched an attack against us. If he does Star Fox is ready to assist the Cornerian Military again."

Kiko folded his arms at his chest. "If I am called to duty I obviously wont be able to manage SFP."

"I kinda figured that. When war is here SFP will close down. The last few times Star Fox was called into action I had enough people on standby to keep the restaurant open. This time however I don't want any member of my team left behind. We don't need another Venom uprising." Fox looked over at SFP, still feeling that something bad was going to happen. He felt a shiver run down his spine before Kiko spoke up.

"I thought it was an if, not when." He scoffed. "We had assumed Venom to no longer be a threat once you and your team defeated Andross. Guess his nephew is just as evil."

"Just as evil and even more delusional. I'll let General Pepper inform you about all of that. We've got some SFP business to go over. Like for instance, the new menu." Fox waited for Kiko to hand him the updated menu before looking it over.

Kiko grinned. "We've got daily specials, a solid regular priced menu, and a great selection of products." He pulled out his own copy of the menu. "On the back I listed some potential monthly deals we can try out. Some are cutting our profit margin pretty close but the projected sales on them make it worth it. We should start out with a bigger deal just to get our customer base back up to where it should be. After that we can pick and choose as we need them."

Fox nodded as he read over some of Kiko's ideas. He had to admit, most of the deals were quite good. "Looks good, very good. We'd have to fine-tune some of these but this is a great-" Fox stopped as he saw the reflection of lights in the windshield of his SUV. "What the?" As he turned around he saw what looked like heat waves in the building, as if the oven was on. Kiko turned as well, his eyes widened as he realized what was going to happen.

Before he could speak and explosion ripped through the building, sending glass, concrete, and debris everywhere. The blast sent Fox and Kiko flying backwards. Fox saw things in slow motion, his father's dream of a normal life; the escape from being a mercenary, gone. He brought his arms over his face and closed his eyes, bracing for impact. Praying he would open them again.

* * *

><p><strong>Great Fox II – 8:15 AM<strong>

Slippy looked up from his hologram to the new Arwing. He nearly had all the specs of the new craft embedded in his memory, but was still in awe. These ships had to be better than anything else around, he had no doubts about that.

"Venom wont know what happened once they see these babies in action." He turned his head back to his hologram before the image switched from the Arwing to an accident report. "Server error in SFP?" He tapped the screen bringing up the error. As he did the error switched to system failure. "That's not possible, the place isn't even open yet."

He moved to his workstation and logged into the military network. "Computer give me eyes on SFP." The computer instantly loaded a screen showing SFP covered in smoke and flames. "What the FUCK?" He quickly tapped a few keys on his wrist comm. "Fox, this is Slippy." Silence. "Fox? Fox, this is Slippy. Respond." He took another look at the screen and gasped. He could barely make out a vehicle but had to assume it was Fox's. "Oh no! No, no no no." He tapped a few more keys. "Falco! This is Slippy."

"Slip, what's up?" Falco asked as Slippy's face appeared in front of him.

"FALCO! GET DOWN TO SFP NOW!" Slippy yelled before cutting the link and sent the live feed to Pepper. "That building had a built in emergency dispatch in it. Fox installed it in case of a fire. But this... what the hell happened?" He didn't think much on it, hurrying out of the hanger. He had to get to Peppy and let him know what happened.

* * *

><p><strong>McCloud Residence – 8:20 AM<strong>

_'What the hell could be wrong? It's not like I'm at Slippy's beck and call. I know I didn't get up early just so I could rush to get to the Pizzeria._' Krystal giggled as she overheard the avian's thoughts. She had been meditating; trying to figure out what Fox had been feeling. With a sigh she opened her eyes, whatever it was it would have to wait. She stretched and padded softly to her room, quickly getting ready for the day.

There was a sudden knock at the door. "Hey Krystal, Slippy wanted me to run down to SFP a.s.a.p. I figure boss man might have something to tell us." Falco waited a few seconds before Krystal opened the door. He turned on his heels and led them outside. "I hope it's worth him yelling in my ear. He can reach a pitch most girls can't."

Krystal smiled but could sense that Falco was worried. They got into the avian's car and took off towards the restaurant. They sat in an uneasy silence for most of the ride, until they both noticed smoke in the distance. "That looks like it's near SFP."

"Yeah... kinda does." Falco muttered, fearing more and more with each passing second that Slippy had a reason for yelling at him.

As they got closer their fears became reality. Each second brought them closer and closer to the reason the toad had been so emotional. Falco pushed his car faster, and faster. He could feel it now, something very bad had happened.

"OH MY GOD!" Krystal yelled as they finally saw the smouldering building. She began to cry as she saw Fox's SUV. The vehicle's windows had been busted and the exterior had multiple dents. Falco parked the car and they both ran towards the SUV.

"Fox? FOX!" The vixen ran towards the motionless vulpine. She fell to her knees in front of him, gingerly grasping his hand in hers. "Fox, please... answer me."

The vulpine groaned and coughed a few times before cracking an eye open. "K-krys?" His voice was rasp and weak. The vulpine tried to reach for her but passed out. Krystal moved so his head rested on her lap. She looked over at Falco as he helped Kiko limp towards her. He helped the arctic vulpine sit against the SUV before looking at the blazing remains of SFP.

"Is Fox alright?" Kiko asked with some difficulty. Falco shrugged and looked down at his best friend. "It... It was a bomb. Someone planted a bomb in there. If Fox hadn't of..." Kiko shook his head, unable to comprehend what had happened. "We would have been dead." Falco knelt down beside the vulpine, checking for any major cuts. Kiko only had one cut that looked bad across his arm. The avian tore a sleeve off his shirt and turned it into a make shift bandage. "Don't worry about me, help him."

Falco began looking over Fox, other than a few scraps he was physically fine. "He must have hit his head pretty hard, but we should wait until paramedics get here to move him." Krystal looked over at Falco, tears falling down her face. "If he wakes up again, don't let him move his neck okay?"

"I think it's more of an emotional overload than an injury." Kiko held his head in his hand. "Who could have done this?"

Falco's face took on a serious expression. He had a few names kicking around in his head, and he wouldn't put it past any of them to do this. He glanced over at Kiko, then Krystal, and finally Fox.

"Looks like you got what you asked for."

* * *

><p><strong>4 Days Later – Cornerian Military Hospital<strong>

"Please Fox, answer me."

The vulpine fought to open his eyes. They felt like someone had glued them shut, and the dull pain in his head attempted to lull him back into sleep. "Krys?" He whispered, needing her to help pull him out of the darkness.

"Fox?"

Even though his eyes were closed he could swear he saw her. He didn't want to see her in his mind. His eyes were greedy, and they demanded to see her blue fur once more. With a renewed determination he forced his eyes to open. The world seemed to burst into colours, blurs of what he could only assume was equipment exploded into view.

"Fox! Guys! He's waking up!"

"Krys..." Fox repeated, his vision began to correct itself. The blurs began to turn into his team. He felt arms around him, and the soothing scent of his girlfriend entered his nose. "I... I missed you."

"Mr. McCloud , you put your team through quite a scare." Fox looked over as a doctor entered the room. He couldn't make out the species, but the voice told him the doctor was male. "You've been out for about four days. Amazingly you haven't suffered any major injuries from the explosion."

"Explosion?" Fox almost felt the heat of the blast as he remembered what happened.

"You're quite lucky. I am glad to say you will pull through. We had feared the worst. I'll leave you to your team, but you should get some rest."

Fox felt Krystal release her hug, giving him a kiss before stepping aside. He began to make sense of the blurs as the unmistakable ears of Peppy made their way to him. "Don't give us a scare like that again Fox."

"Sorry Pep." Fox chuckled as well as he could, his voice still slightly raspy. "Where is Kiko? What about the SFP crew? Is the military going to help get them new jobs?"

"Kiko was treated for minor wounds and released already. Your part timers will be taken care of. Now, I wish I could stay Fox, but the team has a lot to do. I'll let the active members of Star Fox fill you in on what has happened." Peppy made to leave, but stopped and looked back at Fox. "I'll ask the doctor to have you transferred into the Great Fox's medical bay."

Fox groaned as he sat up in the bed. "Fill me in on what?" He looked over at Krystal, who no longer looked blurry.

"We found out who was behind the bombing Fox." Falco scoffed. "Son of a Bitch actually took credit for it too."

Fox gave the avian a confused look. "Bombing? Someone planted a bomb in SFP?"

"Not someone Fox." Slippy said patting Fox on the shoulder. "Oikonny public took credit for the attack. Corneria is at war again."

Fox nodded, a grim expression on his face. "I see."

"The bombing was considered a direct attack not only against Star Fox but Corneria as well." Slippy passed Fox a holo-screen. "Things quickly progressed, fighting started a few days ago."

"Venom is taking some heavy losses, but they're still going. Oikonny must have recruited the entire planet to his cause." Falco growled. "Dumb fuckin' monkey. We should have ended him during the Lylat war."

"If we aren't careful this could turn into another one." Fox coughed a few times, taking glass of water Krystal offered.

"We're ready to fight beside you Fox." She smiled at him. "As soon as you're ready that is."

Fox placed the glass back on the table near his bed. He was about to speak when the doctor, a middle-aged otter, came back into the room. "I hope I'm not interrupting, but you've been cleared to move to the Great Fox's medical wing. My recommendation is taking it easy for a few more days, and then you will be combat ready once more. If you have any questions please don't hesitate to call."

Fox looked at his team once more. He cracked a grin before he spoke. "Alright Star Fox. Oikonny has clearly made his intentions know. It's time to answer aggression with aggression. Falco, Slippy head over to the Great Fox and get it ready to launch. I'll get Krystal to drive me over once I'm ready to walk on my own."

Falco smirked and nodded. Slippy cheered and gave Fox a salute before heading out the door behind Falco.

Krystal gave Fox another hug, holding onto him tightly. "Storm came to visit as soon as she heard. She said she had heard rumours about this but never really got any solid details until..." She paused and regained her composure. "I know what happened wasn't within your control. But please don't put me through this again." She felt Fox's arms circle her.

"I don't plan on getting that close to a bomb anytime soon." Fox laughed and released his grip. "Let's get going Krys, I would hate for you to miss all the action after training so well."

Krystal giggled but felt her nerves getting the better of her. Fox had helped get her a pilot's license, and now she had a chance to show him how much she had learned. "Fox... The people we'll fight against..."

Fox didn't need her telepathy to know what she was worried about. "Krys, it's never easy doing what we do. We are at war, and that hesitation you have, though admirable, will only get you killed." He grabbed her hands in his. "It wont get easier, and I can't promise to be there for you when we're on the battlefield. All I can ask of you is to follow my lead, and my orders. Besides, most of Venom's forces are drones, unmanned fighters sent out as a distraction."

Krystal sighed. "Unfortunately killing is something I am used to. That was not going to be a problem. I just don't want to mess up. One mistake and..."

"Never give up, trust your instincts." Fox said with a smile. Krystal felt the surge of thoughts from Fox towards his father. "I'll be there after every mission Krys. I'll always be there for you."

Krystal took a step back from the bed. "Well let's get you to the Great Fox, we've got a war to win!"

* * *

><p><strong>Epilogue – 18 Years Later<strong>

Fox couldn't help but smile as he took the familiar route towards his home away from home. He looked over at his wife, who was also smiling. "First time we came around here in a while."

Krystal looked over at him. "Last time we came here it was just in the start of the rebuild." She turned to face the back seat of Fox's SUV. "You ready for your first day at work?"

Fox peered into the rear view mirror at their sixteen-year-old son, Marcus. Who was staring out the window, clearly more interested in other things rather than starting a new job. "Marcus, your mother asked you a question."

"I answered telepathically Dad." Marcus replied with a smile. "You both know I'd rather be flying."

"A summer job never hurt anyone, besides you'll love it there." Krystal felt Fox grab her hand. "I know I did."

Marcus sighed and was silent until the SUV came to a stop outside his new workplace. "Who's idea was the name of this place?"

"Your grandfathers." Fox chuckled. "I kinda just rolled with it." The family entered the small restaurant; the familiar smell of freshly made dough cause a wave of nostalgia for Fox and Krystal. Marcus however was enthralled by the wonderful smell.

"Welcome to SFP, Marcus."

Fox watched his son disappear into the kitchen. Knowing that he would find the job as rewarding as he did.

* * *

><p><strong>And so the doors of SFP close for a final time.<br>**

**It's finished! The series I never thought would get this long is done. I have had a lot of fun writing this, and I hope you guys enjoyed reading it. Now I've got some people to thank in no particular order:  
><strong>

**From Deviantart(And FF dot net)  
><strong>

**Kiwi-Emberfist AKA Kazila For the use of her OC Chondra, and being my beta reader.  
><strong>

**Phantasy-Star AKA Zythxx For making up a new OC Jordan specifically for this fic!  
><strong>

**Jumanji8 For the use of his OC Kiko Truman. Without him SFP would have had a very boring manager.  
><strong>

**stormthedragon for her OC Storm, and for being generally awesome.  
><strong>

**legoeggo3 for the use of his ideas. Made starting some chapters easier on me!  
><strong>

**bryan mccloud for the use of his OC Bryan Sol. Thanks for helping me give Kara an actual boyfriend haha  
><strong>

**800B23 for the use of his OC James. Might have to borrow this guy again.  
><strong>

**Thanks sooo much! You guys are amazing!  
><strong>

**And of course, thank you to everyone who has reviewed, favourited, or put an alert on SFP. You guys are the reason I'm here.  
><strong>

**So long, for the last time, from SFP.  
><strong>

**Peace,  
><strong>

**H-T  
><strong>


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